7. The Problem of Laura
What is our responsibility to the things we loved the most? One answer is to be brutally honest about who and what we love. That’s what we’re doing in this episode. We’re going to take a long, hard look at the worst parts of Laura: the racism, the violence, and xenophobia present in the Little House series. There’s more than you might think. Even Glynnis, a person who thought she knew Laura all the way through, was surprised and sometimes shocked. We also talk about the harm the books have caused and investigate whether the Little House books should still have a place in our classrooms or even on our shelves. Go deeper: On Native American HistoryMni Sota Makoce: Land of the Dakota by Gwen Westerman and Bruce WhiteMean Spirit by Linda HoganMore on government operated boarding schools for Native children On Native representation and racism in the Little House books Little squatters on the Osage Diminished Reserve by Frances W. Kaye Lizzie Skurnick on Little House’s “Myth of White Self-Sufficiency” On Black prairie narrativesMore on Doctor George A. TannEra Bell Thompson: A North Dakota Daughter Alternate children’s book recommendations: Prairie Lotus by Linda Sue ParkBirchbark House by Louise ErdrichForever Cousins by Laurel GoodluckMore recommendations from Dr. Debbie ReeseSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.