Writings to Young Women from Laura Ingalls <strong> Volume Two: On Life As a Pioneer Woman </strong>

This is the second offering in a three book series edited by Stephen W. Hines. As with the first offering, the editor has done a wonderful job. It should be noted that while the target here is for the youth reader, this work is also more than appropriate for the adult reader.

This little work includes quite a number of articles written by Laura Ingails Wilder over the years that appeared in a number of publications. In addition to writing the now famous Little House on the Prairie books, Mrs. Wilder was also a journalist for many years prior to the writing of these books she was most noted for. As stated, this is a small collection of her published articles and dwells on quite a number of subjects, the central theme being turn of the century farm life, women's issues at that time, working conditions and sound advice. The life of a pioneer woman was hard, no doubt, but it also had benefits which Laura Ingails is quick to point out.

I admit to being a big Wilder fan and have been for most of my life. We live just a few miles from Rocky Ridge Farm located in the Ozarks where Laura did all of her writing. I must say that she captured the attitude, landscape, economic realities, hardships, advantages and so much more of the area perfectly in her writing. As with her well know books, her writing style is quite smooth and captures the reader almost instantly whether she is talking about how to wash your face, raise a flock of chickens, or ingenious ways of producing running water in your home.

Through all of this work, the reader can sense the tremendous hard work that most small farmers and their wives went through before the arrival of electricity and the combustion engine. One gets the sense of how grateful Mrs. Wilder and her neighbors were of these labor saving devices. I noted that several articles featured cream separation machines as well as those that churned butter. These improvements alone must have seemed like miracles to these hard working farm ladies. Through all of this through; through the descriptions of hard labor and hard times, the author never once ceases to emphasis that life is good and to note and remind the reader of the good things that surround them and the superiority of country life compared to "city life." Always on the look out for ways to improve living conditions, culture and awareness, Laura passes these tips and observations on to her readers in a most wonderful and gentle way. Her respect for the land and the people shines through on every page.

This little book contains only 116 pages and includes several black and white photographs of the Wilder Place and it can be read in one or two short settings which is sort of a pity as the reader will be left with the feeling that they want more, so much more.

For a very pleasurable read and a glance into a past way of life that I fear (an am grateful for at the same time) we will never see again, the reader could do far worse.

Don Blankenship
The Ozarks