Prairie Tale By Melissa Gilbert is the perfect celebrity memoir.
This book probably makes my top five memoirs of all time. And that really is saying a lot, as I love, love, love memoirs and read plenty of them. I’m not ashamed to admit I starting crying while reading the forward by Patty (Anna) Duke. And I continued to cry all through this book while reading it. To say I was a huge fan of Little House on The Prairie (both the books and television show) is an understatement. LHOTP was my favorite show as a child, and if you’ve been to my blog before you’ll see that my mom dressed me just like Half Pint. My mother and I only agreed on two things in my life – The Beatles and Little House, so I get weepy just thinking about that show and one of the only connections it provided me to my mother.
To find out Melissa Gilbert’s version of what happened off-screen and on set was pretty cool. I knew “Laura” and “Mary” didn’t get along off-screen either, so my only disappointment with this book was that Melissa took the high road and didn’t talk about the trouble between her and Melissa Sue Anderson. She barely mentioned it, but I can understand why. This book is filled with so much celebrity dirt, gossip, and sex talk, there was no need to dig up same lame 35-year-old little girl feud.
Since Ms. Gilbert celebrity grew during the 1970′s and 1980′s, a lot of her history and life story was a bit of a surprise to me. Sure, I knew she dated Rob Lowe, what Teen Beat subscriber wouldn’t know that? However, the amount of people she met, dated, or “DATED” floored me. It was as if every celebrity guy I ever found remotely cute or interesting dated or “DATED” her, or at least wanted to or tried to. I can not believe she passed up George Clooney in favor of her husband Bruce. Why, why, why girl, why? When she described meeting John Travolta on the studio lot lunchroom when he was filming Grease, it was almost as if I was sitting at that table, getting embarrassed right along with her.
Melissa’s personal health issues, relationship and marriage struggles, body image and multiple surgeries, family drama and overall surreal life were the heart of this book. Don’t let the celebrity name dropping on nearly every page fool you. Her life may have sounded glamorous, but life isn’t easy for anyone, no matter how much money you have or how famous you and your family are. Even if you are one of the most famous and successful childhood actors of all times. Your heart will ache for Melissa Gilbert once you read this book, even if you have no clue who she is or who she was. Prairie Tale is a compelling story anyone would be crazy not to read. I’m actually furious at myself for not reading it sooner. This book is so jammed packed with stories, you will have a blast reliving her life on and off set of Little House.
To buy this fabulous memoir, go here.
To visit Melissa Gilbert’s website, click here.
To follow Melissa on Twitter, go here.
To check out her Facebook, click here.
Share this post:
.gif)
Melissa Gilbert has always annoyed me.
Teena -LOL! Why?
I read it too. All the guys she slept with plus having a serious alcohol problems, methinks I loved it!!
Donna- I tell you, that girl lived life to the fullest!
This sounds like one I would enjoy!
Debbie- Oh, yes, you would!
I always loved To Kill A Mockingbird, but fortunately for me, I had a father with integrity whom I could count on. I read your earlier blog entry on growing up in the ghetto. This is actually a misnomer since you are neither African-American nor a holocaust survivor and I guess I have a problem with the term being used as a joke. Yes, your childhood sounded bad verging on tragic. One problem is the American myth that all poor people are black. White people on Welfare are made to feel ashamed. When I worked for Welfare in New York City, a lot of my white clients made me come in through the back door because they didn’t want their neighbors to know they were on Welfare. Half of their neighbors were on Welfare, also, but they never knew because they were all ashamed to talk to each other about it. What a loss. They could have been a great support to each other which could have eased the pain.
Lisa – I think this went under the wrong post. I’m certainly glad your father was a man of integrity, lucky you!
Lisa, if you look up the term ghetto historically you will see other uses for it that allow me to use it here accurately. A ghetto can be used for people who aren’t black or jewish. In fact, the term originated in Italy, where my family is from. It is currently meant for all minorities … and, being an Italian in my city while growing up, I was technically a minority. As you can see, I really hate it when people point out something that THEY think it wrong, but isn’t.