Book Review!!!!

Alright my friends. Once we get past the title of this book.....what an awesome read!

I grew up the BIGGEST "Little House on the Prairie" fan, so reading this biography written by Allison Arngrim (aka. Nellie Olseson) was so very entertaining! I was out one night at Borders and saw it and grabbed it up! It was one of those books you just could not put down.

She begins and tells of her life before the show and I was so saddened to learn that she had been repeatedly sexually molested by her brother (hence, this book should not be read by younger readers). I was so sad to hear about this....and I know that things like this happen all the time! She was basically crying out for help and I could not help but feel very sorry for her and wish that this horror did not happen to this once innocent little girl!

The best parts of the book were telling about her 7 years on Little House....about the lives of the actors and actresses (did you know she and Melissa Gilbert who played "Laura" were really the BEST of friends....and that (according to her of course), Melissa Sue Anderson (Mary Ingalls) was more like Nellie Oleson in real life! Everyone hated her including little Laura herself! I loved reading about Michael Landon (Pa!).....he was such a kidder on set, always the practical joker and was like a real father to lots of the child actors. I laughed out loud when I read that he never wore underwear under those 1800's trousers (you'll never watch Little House the same way again!).

So many great parts of the book. Any "Little House" fan would eat it up as well. But, be forewarned. It does contain language and like I mentioned before, her own account of her molestation.

Now I am on a "Little House" kick....going through my DVD's and watching them! Ellie likes watching it with me, so I have enjoyed introducing her to it.

The one bad thing, as with all biographies, is this. You once again realize that the show that you just LOVED and wished to be a part of, was put together by a group of HUMANS with character flaws, questionable morality and real problems. It's like a quote from one of my favorite movies and books "Little Women." John Brooke tells Meg that he thinks of the peculiar lives of the actors on the stage and he is disturbed.

Yes, it is kind of like that. I am not exactly "disturbed," but you once again realize we live in a fallen world! Life sure isn't like "Little House on the Prairie!"

*By the way, if you are going to buy this book, do it on Amazon. I got it for $10 less than at Borders!

4.5 out of 5 stars!