Weeks ago, I wrote about my experience in visiting famed author of the Little House books Laura Ingalls Wilder’s house in Mansfield, Missouri. I had read her newly released autobiography before taking this trip, and all of this information made me want to read her daughter’s writing. Rose Wilder Lane was an established and successful... Continue Reading →
An American Masterpiece: Wallace Stegner’s Angle of Repose
Wallace Stegner’s (1909-1993) masterpiece Angle of Repose (1971; Pulitzer 1972) explores the marriage relationships of Susan and Oliver Ward and Lyman and Ellen Ward and the free-love relationship of Shelly Rasmussen and Larry. Lyman, a retired historian, writes a history of his grandparents’ lives after his wife leaves him for his surgeon during his struggle... Continue Reading →
My Ántonia, My Middle Name
My middle name is Antonia. It comes from my great grandmother, Antonia Montosa Juanes, who was born in Hawaii to immigrants from Spain. She married Felix Juanes, from Spain, and had eight children, one of whom is my grandmother, Eulalia. From these fantastic people, I got my beautiful middle name and I also got to... Continue Reading →
Larry McMurtry’s Rollicking American West
I picked Lonesome Dove, winner of the 1986 Pulitzer Prize, for a book club meeting once. However, as a group we decided not to read it because of its daunting 945 pages. But because I had always wanted to read it, I did so anyway. I devoured its pages during a trip my husband and... Continue Reading →
Little House on the Prairie and Family History
My college roommates once came home to find me weeping during an episode of Little House on the Prairie. I don’t remember the specifics of the show, but I do remember my embarrassment. They laughed at me, but I maintain that the series is one heartwarming and charming enough to cry over. There are many... Continue Reading →