Prairie Tale: Part 2

Read Part 1 here regarding Melissa Gilbert’s autobiography, Prairie Tale.

The publicity hit the fan before the book was even published. Headlines flashed the secrets Melissa spilled in her book regarding her own life and that of other Hollywood stars. I had to just stop reading them. I wanted to read it from Melissa, in the way that she chose to tell it, not the media’s extracted bits of gossip. Why must they always spoil things for people?

I’ve seen reviews since publication, as well — seems to be a mixed bag. People have been very negative about Melissa’s comments about Michael Landon (I’m far more surprised by the people who are surprised than I was by anything Melissa said, and I thought she dealt with his issues tastefully and respectfully and only as his decisions affected her own life), and I’ve also seen disappointment expressed that more “behind the scenes of Little House” and talk of the other actors/actresses wasn’t included.

But this book wasn’t touted to be “Behind the Scenes of Little House on the Prairie.” It was supposed to be the story of Melissa’s life, her journey to her all-time low and how she rose from the ashes. And that’s exactly what it is.

I’m not going to spill any secrets or give away any stories, because I hate it when people do that to me. What I will say is that I was pleasantly surprised to learn about what Melissa’s childhood and adolescence were like, because just as I suspected, she was a girl I could easily have been friends with, had we grown up together and been the same age.

I was sad to read of the path she followed that took her away from the girl that she was — but apparently didn’t know herself to be — and I was thrilled that this story had a happy ending.

What I came away with was the impression that I had just sat down and had a nice long chat with Melissa Gilbert. I felt like I got to know her — the real Melissa — to some extent, at least.

The book was well-written and carefully crafted from beginning to end to bring Melissa’s life full-circle, from the little girl who played Laura to the grown woman who learned from the lessons taught by the real Laura Ingalls Wilder.

Laura and her Little House legacy has played a major role in my life from my earliest days to now. In a very different way, it has also played a major role in Melissa’s life.  Therein lies the common bond between a Hollywood television star and a little barefoot pigtailed girl growing up in the mountains of West Virginia.

It all comes back to Laura.

It always does.