Caroline Fraser just won the Pulitzer Prize for biography for her new book, Prairie Fires: The American Dreams of Laura Ingalls Wilder. For those who read the Little House books, you’ll remember the tales of a loving family on the American frontier. What’s behind the scenes is the extraordinary destruction wrought by settlers—both to the native inhabitants of the land and to the land itself, resulting in drought, crop failure, insect infestations, and ultimately the Dust Bowl.
This riveting biography offers a deep look at a family of smart, courageous, and loving people caught up in a bigger historical process.