I found the hypocrisy of calling out the perceived propaganda they’re convinced is woven throughout the books, while simultaneously promoting their own propaganda, to be the inexplicable theme of this entire podcast. Forget about examining LIW through the lens of the times she lived in. Instead, they insisted on approaching everything from the belief that the books, as well as the characters, are nothing more than racists with mental health issues. It was an absolute wreck of a podcast.

No doubt someone will suggest there’s no indication in the books that Laura agreed with her mother’s racist views. I just re-read “Little House” and understood those passages as a chronicle of the shadow side of America that is forgotten at our peril.

I never read any of the Laura Ingalls Wilder books and barely watched Little House on the Prairie, but I will definitely be listening to this entire podcast series. What a fascinating look at this iconic book series. Love how they are looking at every aspect of LIW and her daughter and the writing of the books, their place in history and current issues with the book series. I’m enjoying this immensely.

I wanted to love this podcast, but the continued narrative that I’m hearing from a lot of podcasts from both the far left and far right is just sickening. (This from a left leaning individual.) And unfortunately this podcast does much of the same. Mentioning problematic things in passing and acknowledging them is fine, but this beating you over the head with it is just intolerable and too much. I listened to two episodes, the first and the “Hollywood” episode. And well, that’s all I needed to hear to see where this podcast was going. It could have been great

An excellent podcast that deep dives into all things LIW. I devoured it!

I can’t help but think this podcast has an agenda… was hoping just for some interesting facts and maybe a few surprises..it’s called free speech… peopl can write what they want even if we don’t all agree. I hate racism in any form but don’t throw out the “baby with the bath water” applies here. Take the good without reading into everything.

A+ podcast, but goddam there are WAY too many commercials for relatively short episodes. I know that’s not the host’s fault.

At first, I loved everything about this because I have always wanted to travel to the sites of the little houses, but the overwhelming left wing slant is absolutely disgusting in the end. We cannot take a book written in the 1930s and try to impose our understanding, even if our understanding is right on the values or beliefs that were predominant in the country at the time. Laura had every right to write whatever she wanted, and her mother had every right to fear native Americans and the unknown in general. Being upset and angry and complaining for hours about it will not change what is written and these books just like any other book ever written should not be vilified or taken away from the public. They are windows into the true feelings and thoughts that a lot of people had in a significant part of American history, and even today there is nothing wrong with the idea of American exceptionalism because no other country has achieved what America has achieved. You don’t have to like it, but it is a fact.

After listening to Glynnis and Joe I have to go back and do a re watch of the series that I also grew up watching! I also appreciate so much that they draw attention to the fact that so much of it they had wrong in the show and books, and light was shed on the truth about how the west was settled…that part is definitely sad. But it is our history, hopefully we can learn from it and move forward being better humans to all humans!!

The podcast shares some fascinating information and offers interesting perspectives that make you think about history and consider how your own world views are shaped. But after about the fifth or sixth episode, it starts getting repetitive in its ideas and themes, and getting through it becomes about as laborious as the Ingalls family’s trek across the prairie. Also, listeners should play a drinking game and take a shot every time the host or her friends use the word “problematic.”

You all being offended about books and occurrences from 160 years ago is cringe-worthy. And they way you refer to Libertarians as far right crazies IS offensive. I am a libertarian. I don’t want BIG GOV. WOW. Crazy idea! I am glad no to be scarred for life by works of fiction.

The historical parts are interesting but the hosts make no secret of their own political beliefs and biases.

I had high hopes for this podcast, but couldn’t get past episode 6. It’s quite repulsive how everything can be made political nowadays. They are analyzing books from a girls loose memory from the last 1860-1890’s criticizing it through today’s cultural lens. The fact that they would divorce Pa for moving across states with young children was enough for me to want to stop listening. Their opinions and reviews are hidden behind the guise of woke liberalism. And quite frankly I won’t take criticism of my county and it’s history lightly from a Canadian of all people.

I still watch little house with my sisters every night. The comfort and genuine, simple life of Little house makes it easier to understand our modern era. Please do more interviews!!

These books were my first box set at age 8. I read them many times & never once thought about racism, lack of government support or poverty. The author of this podcast, a Canadian, loves to cast shade on the American life during pioneer times. Like Canada is a paragon in treatment of Native Americans! As for poverty, most people were maybe monetarily poor at that time but lived fulfilling lives just the same. It was a different time and acting like your ideas and language of today should apply to books written 200 years ago is self centered and asinine. Were things perfect? Absolutely not. But to lay this all on a series of CHILDREN’S books is absurd.

Get over yourself, tell the story and quit calling out things from the past. You’re actually physically I’ll from Sixteen Candles

The history, back story and cast interviews were all very informative and engaging. However, too much speculation presented as fact. And if we can’t give a woman who was born 2 years after the end of the Civil War leeway on on insensitive language, not sure how the rest of modern humanity fares.

I did very much enjoy this podcast. I enjoyed hearing from so many experts on Laura and their take on her as an author, woman, and mother. I also found the information on racism interesting and eye opening. It’s obvious the authors of this podcast took care in how they presented the information to their listeners. In the end, I was disappointed that in all the exploration of how the Ingalls family fits into the modern world nothing was ever mentioned about families and families staying together. We heard endless hours on racism and whether or not the books should be banned because of it. However, nothing was mentioned about how this family portrays staying together in spite of hardships. This conversation is just as applicable to today’s world, as is racism. Countless children grow up without in-tact families, absent parents, and Laura instills hope in millions of children by portraying a loving and healthy family. I think this was a missed opportunity within the conversation of Laura and her relevance to todays world.

I love going on this road trip with the host and producers. Her love of this series is as deep as mine was as a kid, and I remember how thrown I was the first time I read a biography of Wilder and realized that the books weren’t just pure factual memoir. I’ve visited some of these sites, too. I loved the book Prairie Fires and love that they interviewed that writer too. This is a great podcast that takes you along with their journey and I love all the conversations they have with people along the way. Highly recommend!

I was initially hesitant to listen, having loved the Little House books since they were read to me by my father nearly 50 years ago, Laura and her stories and her family have been my stories and my family in a very real way. Understanding the “racism” criticisms, but wanting so much to keep intact the best parts of my childhood, I was worried that the podcast would somehow change how I feel. I have read multiple biographies on Laura and Rose, so had some inkling that not all was as written in the Little House books, but this podcast has not only expanded that knowledge, they did so without “ruining” Laura for me. My feelings are complicated, but the memories still remain unmarred and if anything enhanced. Thank you! Thank you!

SO so good! I’ve been debating reading the series to my 6 year old and this podcast is giving me lots of context to help think about how to present and balance the series to her in a responsible way. Also just fun and fascinating for a history buff whose love of history was ignited by this series!

History appears to be being rewritten by a modern woke leftist who grew up in Canada. I was so excited to listen to a whole podcast about my heroine: a strong independent woman who believed that government should keep its nose out of our business. Unfortunately, this was a 10 part series dedicated to tearing down the book series that defined many children’s childhood enjoyment of reading. Instead of focusing on the wonderful family experiences in the series, this podcast chose to define the series as racist indoctrination and propaganda. The narrator decried Caroline Ingalls as a victim of domestic abuse by her husband Charles, who they also decided, with zero proof, was mentally ill. And Laura’s daughter Rose was treated as a manipulative and dangerous writer. Her political views as a libertarian were considered ‘dangerous’! The ALA decision to remove the Laura Ingalls Wilder Writers award and substitute it with the bland Children’s Literature Legacy Award was applauded. All this because native Americans and African Americans were not depicted as they are today. In the 1880’s these depictions were relevant to the times. Very very disappointing. Hopefully in the next century this obeisance to woke culture will be treated the same as this narrator treated a national treasure. Kathleen Redmond Youth Services Librarian

I have always been intrigued by Laura and her family. As a kid my family and I traveled to Pepin, WI, Walnut Grove, MN, and DeSmet, SD. This podcast brings together the historical aspect and a women’s recount of her childhood into a wonderful mix of historical reality and personal reality. I am so grateful to Glynnis for doing this. The length of the episodes are digestible and very interesting. I will be recommending this to EVERYONE! Also, I never write reviews so that should say something too! :)

I grew up in the 60’s and 70’s. Every year my sisters and I received another Little House book at Christmas until we each had the full set. I love them. I am going to re read them with new eyes because of this podcast. It’s so important to grow, to see people with new information… but none of this changes my love for the Laura and the books. This was a different time, and I will take the good from that time while acknowledging the bad, the ignorance and the hubris of their thinking. I will never not love these books, and if I’m ever lucky enough to have grand children, I will read Laura to them… with discussion! Thank you again for your hard work, and for loving Laura.❤️ Susan Keller

Like probably many listeners I owned the yellow boxed set of books and wore them out. Have been to De Smet. Live in MN and have been to the sod house site, the little house in the big woods site. Made my husband stop at the hotel site in Iowa! But I did not know there was a recording of Laura’s voice until just now as I hit play as I began washing the dishes. Thank you, I’m stunned.

terrific stories behind favorite books—stories—it hooked me and i can’t wait to hear more!

So interesting and painstakingly researched!

If you loved the Little House books, you must listen to this podcast series. Interesting, well researched, and well told, it will add an adult deeper dimension to your understanding and context of the book series.

I so appreciate this podcast and the research put into all things Laura Ingalls Wilder. I read the books over and over as a child also. When I reread them as an adult, I had the same reaction to the racist content - I remember feeling bad for the Native Americans even when reading as a child. I appreciate the struggle between our naive take on the books as children and the stark reality of what was actually portrayed.

If you read these books and watched the show this podcast is VERY interesting!!

I was enjoying the podcast- However, I remember learning about “Manifest Destiny” many times in school (throughout grade school and high school). I find it strange that they interviewed one woman on the podcast who claims that she never heard of Manifest Destiny until grad school- and then because of that one person they insinuate that children in the US are not taught about Manifest Destiny in history class— perhaps this one woman wasn’t paying attention? We were taught about MD and many other negative aspects of US history (yes, even in the 80s!) in school. They also judge people who lived 150 years ago far too harshly - which IMO is completely ignorant. Still, I was enjoying the podcast but I am lowering my rating due to these gross inaccuracies - and find myself less interested in listening to the rest of the episodes.

I LOVED the Little House books and TV series . This series is a deep dive and deconstruction of the culture and mythology surrounding these stories. While some of it is hard, (racism, manifest destiny) the podcast never becomes a bummer! I still love Laura and Walnut Grove, but now with a grown-up, nuanced lens.

Earlier in the series I had expressed some disappointment about the arc and emphasis of some of the conversations of the pod - mostly because it seemed as if MacNicol wouldn’t be able to shake her childhood and adult devotion to Laura. I was both surprised and impressed by the final episode- well done!

I enjoyed listening and would recommend. There’s a lot of saying we should tell other people’s stories without actually telling any of those stories. Would love to see a follow up pod telling the stories they reference!

Riveting and informative. Campy, yet thought provoking. A fascinating analysis of a literary hero. One of the best podcasts I have listed to this year.

Such a thought-provoking podcast. I hope the creators will examine more much-loved children’s books, TV, and films. But mostly books.

I grew up as a huge Little House fan and this show was so gripping, fascinating, compassionate, and fun. Definitely recommend!!

Another GenX who had & loved the yellow Little House box set & really enjoyed this podcast… I loved the host & the deep dive into the history of Laura & her family… my only issue was the inclusion of the conversations with the executive producer… I see the point of using that device but I found her difficult to listen to & it was as if she was trying a bit too hard to be clever .. otherwise gladly went along on this journey of nostalgia while also learning so many new things

This podcast bring me so much joy. I am a product of those books and the tv series. I loved the interview with Melissa Gilbert. Please release all of the interviews!

…to peak behind the curtain and reconcile my childhood adoration with a 2023 perspective. I’m a Gen X’er who adored the books and the TV show. I recently re-read this series to my daughter who has dyslexia, and it was a wonderful bonding experience that we ended with a trip to Mansfield, MO this past March. There were definitely times where we had to stop and address the racist and white supremacist ideas in the book, but I wouldn’t trade the experience for anything. Laura captured my daughter’s heart just like she did mine, and we both learned a lot. ANY book that encourages her to read - I’m all for it! And there is still so much value in sharing books from generation to generation, so I strongly disagree with even the suggestion these books shouldn’t be exposed to children. This is just straight up book banning! Any book more than a few years old can have “problematic” perspectives. And let’s not forget, there’s a reason these books are categorized as fiction! As long as you are open to discussion and analysis of the books with your child, let them read! Lastly, one area I would like to see analyzed is Laura as a 2nd wave feminist figure. We had soooo few strong females, especially female children, to admire and emulate in the 70s. That’s a big part of why I loved Laura so much. Also the fact that growing up without a dad, Pa was the near perfect father us fatherless girls wish we had. Bring on a season 2 with more!

I enjoyed parts of this, but be aware that there is a lot of pearl clutching in a dramatic way to create content. I agree that there can be some problems that arise when discussing a text written a century ago about experiences a century and a half ago. The culture and understanding was different then. Some of the things they find so offensive and horrifying that might influence children were not confusing to me as a child reader. I understood that the book was describing a little girl’s experience a long time ago. The incident where Laura wants the Indian baby- she was 3. 3 yr olds can be weird. I don’t think it helps to read into it. The feeling I took away from it was that she saw the humanity in the baby and wanted to hold that close. Same with Dr. Tann, I never saw her descriptions of him as negative even as a child. It’s ok for a child to experience something new as strange. Finally, I have to say that it really bugged me to have so much air time given to the TV show, especially when they had spent so much time fact-checking the books. While they criticize the books it seems that maybe the host has too much of a crush on Landon to criticize the show equally? I find Landon’s selfish decision to stray so far from the books distasteful. If he wanted to tell another story he should have just told another story and not called it LHOtP. They go on about how weird it was having a 15yr old Laura marry an adult Almanzo in the show but that wasn’t even reality, so the whole situation was Landon’s fault. Laura was 18 and Almanzo 28 in reality. Melissa Gilbert claims they weren’t very far apart in age so I’m not sure where she gets that. They treat her as a paragon of Laura’s legacy when the show didn’t even really tell Laura’s story, so that’s weird and annoying. Anyway, the earlier episodes were interesting.

As a Gen-X’er who grew up on the books & TV series, I’ve always been a big fan of LHOTP. The hosts of this podcast are too, and BOY do they deep dive & expand on the life of Laura and her daughter, Rose. And I am here for it!!! Rose is quite the character! I want HBO to grab her and create a series around her life (and please tag Melissa Gilbert to play Mama Bess)! While I adore Laura and feel like she is an old friend, I am fascinated by Rose and how she navigates herself in the world. This podcast is giving the 10 year old me all the nostalgic Laura-love, while giving the 50-something me all kind of new Ingalls-Wilder facts and perspective. Thank you!

I graduated high school in 1984 so I read the books and watched the show but I wasn’t a huge fan. Even with my “eh” attitude, I LOVED THIS PODCAST! For me the differences between Laura’s childhood and how I was entertained in the 70’s and 80’s and how entertainment is today was fascinating to reflect on - especially through the lens of the “Little house” empire. Thank you for the engaging analysis and conversation!

What a wonderful podcast! Beautifully written and produced. I love how this show has explored the books, Laura and Rose, and all things Little House in such a complex, thoughtful way. I highly recommend this podcast. Kudos to everyone involved! And I hope to see those pig bladder lampshades on Etsy very soon!

I wasn’t sure what to think about a Podcast about Laura Ingalls Wilder, but am so glad I was feeling nostalgic in the wee hours of the morning. This podcast has quickly emerged as one I look forward to the most with its blend of history/historical accuracy, and nostalgia. What’s REALLY interesting is viewing the Wilder family, especially daughter Rose under a modern lens. Aside from the story of Laura and Rose, the story of the hosts is riveting. They are fans of a beloved series that have to grapple with the fact that the stories they grew up loving are often problematic under the lens of 2023. What a wholesome and scandalous delight!

I had the experience of reading these books as a child and then as an adult which was very different. There are at least a few more podcasts to mine out of this. Would have loved one or two on almanzo and his family, more on Laura’s siblings Carrie and Grace and of course Mary. Also more of a deep dive into Charles and Caroline’s backstories. I agree there is a lot of problematic storylines in these books but these extremely problematic things did happen, and Laura’s account, though biased and distorted, is still valuable. I can only end by saying “poor ma”.

This podcast had me until episode 7. I found the first 6 episodes exactly what I expected. Then came episode 7. Where Laura Ingalls Wilder's character was torn apart by comparing 2023 standards to those of the mid 1800, or 1935. She's not even here to defend herself, and that is completely unfair. I highly doubt 3 year old Laura actually wanted to "own an Indian baby." She was 3!! You act like she had the rationale of a 13 year old. Come on...I'm not saying her line of thinking was right, but given the chance to know better we do better, and unfortunately Laura didn't live long enough to know better, yet you want to crucify her for it. Loved the podcast episodes 1-6....7-and on I have such a bad taste in my mouth I'm finding it hard to come back and listen.

I’ve enjoyed this podcast immensely and just dread seeing it go. There are so many avenues to travel in the world of Laura Ingalls Wilder that if they wanted to keep going for the next year I’d be a diehard listener. One storyline I was desperately hoping would be covered was the ‘Farmer Boy’ piece with a deep dive into Almanzo, his family, his home life and the differences between his and Laura’s upbringing. I’m keeping my fingers crossed. I appreciate the enthusiasm and thoughtfulness the hosts have brought to this project and the balance they have to vigilantly maintain. Thank you for sharing all of this with us and helping to keep a complicated but quintessentially American experience relevant.

I found this podcast, and I love the history of the books and the life of the Ingalls family! Can’t wait for more episodes!

I have been fascinated by this updated look at LIW and her writing. As someone who read the books growing up and obsessed over the show, I am really enjoying this fresh take on her life, the times, and the impact this book made on so many people!