REVIEW--The Way I See It: A Look Back at my Life on Little House

Happy Monday, everyone!  I have a book confession to make: I love reading autobiographies.  Serious or silly, autobiographies just keep me engaged.  Sometimes I just peruse the biography section of the library...it's in my nerdy nature!

So I was really excited to read Melissa Anderson's autobiography called The Way I See It: A Look Back at my Life on Little House.  Anderson played Mary, the oldest of the Ingalls children who is infamous for her character going blind.  Even though Little House aired before my time, I still watched re-runs as a child (my favorite episode was "Sweet Sixteen" when Laura finally falls in love).  And I love reading behind-the-scenes info on TV shows and movies, so this book was an easy choice for me.

 

• Standalone book
• Autobiography

The Gist:

Melissa Anderson documents her life during her time as Mary Ingalls on Little House on the Prairie.  She starts with her audition and runs through each season she was on the show.

What I Loved:

• I loved reading the inside snippets that Anderson gave about actors/actresses and show production.  Did you know that Miss Beadle was a very fashionable woman?!  I just love trivia like that!
• I like how she explained what the actors were known for later on in life...I believe her character's husband was later a producer for Malcolm in the Middle...just interesting information. 

What I Didn't Love:

• Even though I did need some episode recap to understand some of the stories, it was excessive.  Some chapters seemed to only be episode summaries--this would probably be pretty boring to a hard core Little House fan.
• I wish Anderson would have shared more about her family background.  There was just very little about her personally.
• In addition to wanting fewer episode summaries, I wanted MORE of Anderson's feelings.  Again, she just kept herself out of it and stuck to the episodes.
• There were a few "inside sentences" here and there that left me wanting so much more.  That would be my main frustration with the book--I just wanted more.
• The ending was pretty abrupt.  She mentions her marriage and children just within the last few pages. 

So an enjoyable read for Little House fans, but don't expect much meat from it.  A book that seemed to play up her celebrity status.

 

I'll be back on Wednesday with a prairie-inspired outfit!  See you then!