Our Recommended Reading for Children & Young Adults and Recommended Reading for Adults articles have been popular resources for readers interested in Laura Ingalls Wilder and Little House on the Prairie. Here is a brief overview of Little House, Long Shadow: Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Impact on American Culture.

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Author: Anita Clair Fellman
Publisher: University of Missouri Press (June 5, 2008)

Synopsis:

In this groundbreaking study, Wilder scholar Anita Clair Fellman reveals that Little House on the Prairie carries a powerful, often overlooked political message. Written during the rise of New Deal programs, the books reflect the anti-government views of both Laura Ingalls Wilder and her daughter, Rose Wilder Lane. By celebrating the Ingalls family’s self-reliance and resilience, the series subtly promotes individualism and distrust of state support.

Fellman argues that the books’ popularity helped normalize a conservative worldview—laying cultural groundwork for skepticism toward big government and shaping modern attitudes about personal responsibility. She also traces the ongoing influence of Wilder’s work across classrooms, tourism, editorials, and even online forums.

Little House, Long Shadow is essential reading for anyone interested in how beloved stories can quietly shape national identity and political thought.

About the Author: Anita Clair Fellman
Anita Clair Fellman is Professor Emerita of History at Old Dominion University, where she also served as Chair of the Women’s Studies Department. Her scholarly work focuses on the cultural and political history of the United States, with particular interest in how literature and popular media shape national identity.

Among the books she has authored or co-edited are: Rethinking Canada: The Promise of Women’s History; Ourselves as Students: Multicultural Voices in the Classroom; and Making Sense of Self: Medical Advice Literature in Late Nineteenth-Century America.

She currently lives in Norfolk, Virginia.

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