John E. Miller (1) (1945–)

Mr. Miller's work is on the De Smet town mentioned in Laura Wilder's stories. It is difficult to attempt to compare the historical with the fictional since there will be discrepancies for the sake of clarity & smoothness of storytelling. This is what we see here. The author is at times unclear in what he's attempting to accomplish. It is clear that there are major gaps not due to the storytelling which is of course expected but due to the gaps in the historical evidences from the fluid nature of western life. Diaries & newspaper articles is fragmented at best but still an interesting narrative of how people lived in the late 1800s.… (mer)

Having read a number of other biographies of Laura Ingalls Wilder, I consider this one to be fairly good though not extraordinary--though to someone who is first finding out about the facts of Laura Ingalls Wilder's life, this book could be shocking or even disturbing. Miller did considerable research as he sets up extensive historical context around Wilder's life, especially her time in South Dakota and Missouri (I should note this book is part of a Missouri Biography series from University of Missouri Press). He draws a lot of newspaper and other cultural documents of the time. There are moments when that feels like padding because there is otherwise insufficient material on Wilder. He delves into the important, even controversial, subject of Rose Wilder Lane's role in her mother's Little House books as well.

I should note that this book was published in 1998. For a more current, more extensive biography of Wilder, I advise reading Prairie Fires by Caroline Fraser.… (mer)