Readers who have followed this blog will not be surprised by the groundswell of enthusiasm that Pioneer Girl: The Annotated Autobiography has generated around the world. But every once in a while, the phenomenon expresses itself in a way that surprises even the staff here at the Pioneer Girl Project. For example:
Strolling into the office on Monday morning, we found tear sheets from two publications, both of which featured Pioneer Girl. Were they:
- A. The Los Angeles Times and The Guardian
- B. The Columbus Dispatch and Entertainment Weekly
- C. The Christian Science Monitor and Foreword Reviews
- D. The Wall Street Journal and The National Enquirer
The answer is D. That’s right, folks, D. We read them on the same day. Strange bedfellows, no? In fact, we had already known that a write-up in the Journal was coming, but the Enquirer made us grin with amusement. Wilder’s book appears on a page with Barbara Walters, Nicolas Cage, and Carrie Underwood. That’s pretty A-list company for an author who has been dead for nearly sixty years.
The fact is, Laura Ingalls Wilder’s appeal, both as a fiction writer and a historical figure, is broad and long-lasting. Indeed, all of the news outlets listed above have featured Pioneer Girl: The Annotated Autobiography in the last six months, along with leading online and broadcast media like NPR, BBC, Slate, and a fantastic review by Wendy McClure, author of The Wilder Life, on Refinery 29.
So keep your eyes open – you never know when Pioneer Girl may receive notice in a publication near you.
Rodger Hartley
Hello to all at the Pioneer Girl Project. Last week I received my copy of the book. Well, I wanted to say a massive thank you to everyone who worked so hard on it – it’s an absolute joy to read. Having, I thought, already read pretty much everything available in print and online about Laura, the wealth of detail and new information in the book is just fantastic. Thanks again and have a wonderful Pioneer Christmas! Alice (London, UK)