Discovering Laura: The Historical Laura Ingalls Wilder
Volume 1
Book 1 of 3
Historical Non-Fiction
By:
Cheri Pierson Yecke, PhD
This historical nonfiction book (the first in a related series of three) offers a fresh, authoritative look at one of America’s most beloved writers—placing Laura Ingalls Wilder and her iconic Little House books firmly within the real history that shaped them.
With the tenacity of an historian, the curiosity of a naturalist, and the clarity of a scientist—balanced by the affection of an admiring but clear-eyed biographer—Dr. Cheri Pierson Yecke illuminates Wilder’s life and work in the broader context of American expansionism, the Great Plains, and the literature that emerged from it. Drawing on meticulous research, Yecke uncovers rich historical detail and background rarely explored elsewhere, revealing the people, places, and events behind the stories generations have cherished.
“Like an archeologist digging into the past, Dr. Yecke delves into the real story of Laura—and the facts that are unearthed are no less—and arguably more—evocative, powerful, and moving than the stories told by Laura herself. Step aside, John Wayne. Laura Ingalls Wilder instantiates true grit. If the devil is in the details, this is one helluva history.”
— Dr. Jeffrey A. Lockwood, Professor of Natural Sciences and Humanities, University of Wyoming, and author of Locust: The Devastating Rise and Mysterious Disappearance of the Insect that Shaped the American Frontier.
“The pioneering spirit of Laura Ingalls Wilder has received a fresh and invigorating interpretation… a well-researched and broad collection of detailed background information not found anywhere else, placing characters and events solidly within their historical context. … A must-have resource for parents, homeschoolers, teachers, and anyone who is a serious Wilder scholar.”
— Dr. William Bennett, former U.S. Secretary of Education
“Dr. Yecke shows that Laura Ingalls Wilder, and most other nineteenth-century American children, were deliberate products of McGuffey Readers and similar textbooks. … Dr. Yecke brilliantly shows that a functioning constitutional republic depends on shared knowledge no less than on shared values.”
— Dr. E.D. Hirsch, founder of the cultural literacy movement, established the Core Knowledge Foundation, and authored Cultural Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know.