A Prairie Faith: The Religious Life of Laura Ingalls Wilder

by John J. Fry, Mark A. Noll (Foreword by)

Overview

What role did Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Christian faith play in her life and writing?

The beloved Little Housebooks by Laura Ingalls Wilder have sold over 60 million copies since their publication in the first half of the twentieth century. Even her unpolished memoir, Pioneer Girl, which tells the true story behind the children’s books, was widely embraced upon its release in 2014. Despite Wilder’s enduring popularity, few fans know much about her Christian beliefs and practice.

John J. Fry shines a light on Wilder’s quiet faith in this unique biography. Fry surveys the Little Housebooks, Pioneer Girl, and Wilder’s lesser-known writings, including her letters, poems, and newspaper columns. Analyzing this wealth of sources, he reveals how Wilder’s down-to-earth faith and Christian morality influenced her life and work. Interweaving these investigations with Wilder’s perennially interesting life story, A Prairie Faith illustrates the Christian practices of pioneers and rural farmers during this dynamic period of American history.

Webster County Literacy Council Ella Dickey Literacy Award (2025)

Foreword Reviews INDIES Book of the Year Award Biography (2024)

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780802876287
Publisher:	Eerdmans, William B. Publishing Company
Publication date:	02/06/2024
Series:	Library of Religious Biography (LRB)
Pages:	240
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

John J. Fry is professor of history, dean of faculty, and director of Foundations at Trinity Christian College in Palos Heights, Illinois. He is the author of The Farm Press, Reform, and Rural Change, 1895- 1920 and the editor of Almost Pioneers: One Couple's Homesteading Adventure in the West.


 
Mark A. Noll is the Francis A. McAnaney Professor Emeritus of History at the University of Notre Dame. His other books include A History of Christianity in the United States and Canada, America's God: From Jonathan Edwards to Abraham Lincoln, and Turning Points: Decisive Moments in the History of Christianity.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Foreword by Mark A. Noll
Acknowledgments 
Introduction: “Between Him and God” 
1. Home, on and off the Prairie: Kansas and Wisconsin, 1867–1874 
2. Exploring the World and the Church: Minnesota and Iowa, 1874–1879 
3. Adolescence and Courtship: Dakota Territory, 1879–1885 
4. Trials: Dakota, Minnesota, Florida, 1885–1894 
5. New Beginnings: Missouri, 1894–1911 
6. Writing about the Farm, the Good Life, and God: 1911–1924 
7. From Memoir to Children’s Literature: 1924–1935 
8. The Later Little House Books: 1935–1943 
9. Aging, Together and Apart: 1943–1957 
10. Remembering Laura: Since 1957  
Personal Afterword: Faith and the Popularity of the Little House Books 
A Note on Sources 
Appendix: Pastors of the Mansfield Methodist Episcopal Church, 1895–1939, and the Mansfield Methodist Church, 1939–1958 
Index

Editorial Reviews

Christianity Today
“A highly readable account of great value to scholars and Little House fans alike.”

“[A]n outstanding example of how detailed research can supplement, modify, or, in some cases, overthrow what everyone thought they knew about an author whose books are still much read and, by many, much loved.”
—from the foreword by Mark A. Noll

“In A Prairie Faith, John Fry provides his readers with a nuanced and thoughtful discussion of the spiritual world of Laura Ingalls Wilder. This is no small task, since Wilder rarely talked about her own faith and left no diaries and few letters that shed significant light on the matter. In search of his elusive subject, Fry has read myriad manuscripts, including all known drafts of Wilder’s famous Little House books, a daunting task in itself. What emerges is a new and convincing picture of a Laura Ingalls Wilder whom few of us know.”
—Pamela Riney-Kehrberg, author of Childhood on the Farm: Work, Play, and Coming of Age in the Midwest

“The elusive topic of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s religious life has mystified readers and scholars since the publication of her Little House books. Dr. Fry’s research is a welcome addition to Wilder studies.”
—William Anderson, editor of The Selected Letters of Laura Ingalls Wilder 
 

From the Publisher