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Binding: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 921
EAN: 9781416599142
Edition: First Edition
ISBN: 1416599142
Item Dimensions: 120960133640
Label: Simon Spotlight Entertainment
Manufacturer: Simon Spotlight Entertainment
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 384
Publication Date: June 09, 2009
Publisher: Simon Spotlight Entertainment
Studio: Simon Spotlight Entertainment
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Editorial Review:
Product Description:
A fascinatiating, heartbreaking, and ultimately uplifting tale of self-discovery from the beloved actress who earned a permanent place in the hearts of millions when she was just a child.
To fans of the hugely successful television series Little House on the Prairie, Melissa Gilbert grew up in a fantasy world with a larger-than-life father, friends and family she could count on, and plenty of animals to play with. Children across the country dreamed of the Ingalls' idyllic life -- and so did Melissa.
She was a natural on camera, but behind the scenes, life was more complicated. Adopted as a baby into a legendary show business family, Melissa wrestled with questions about her identity and struggled to maintain an image of perfection her mother created and enforced. Only after years of substance abuse, dysfunctional relationships, and made-for-television movies did she begin to figure out who she really was.
With candor and humor, the cherished actress traces her complicated journey from buck-toothed Laura "Half-pint" Ingalls to Hollywood starlet, wife, and mother. She partied with the Brat Pack, dated heartthrobs like Rob Lowe and bad boys like Billy Idol, and began a self-destructive pattern of addiction and codependence. Left in debt after her first marriage, and struggling to create some sense of stability, she eventually realized that her career on television had earned her popularity, admiration, and love from everyone but herself.
Through hard work, tenacity, sobriety, and the blessings of a solid marriage, Melissa has accepted her many different identities and learned to laugh, cry, and forgive in new ways. Women everywhere may have idolized her charming life on Little House on the Prairie, but Melissa's own unexpectedly honest, imperfect, and down-to-earth story is an inspiration.
Average Rating: 
Rating:  -
I purchased this book for myself and it was definately not what I hoped for. I had always enjoyed the Little House on the Prarie series and was looking forward to a memoir that would include a more detailed account of Ms. Gilbert's time through those years. This autobiography was more of an account of how her life has taken her down the paths of alcohol, drug abuse and numerous sexual relationships over the years. It seemed to be just another Hollywood story! I plan to donate it to my local library instead of passing it on to others in my circle to read and enjoy.
Rating: -
This isn't a biography about Laura Ingalls Wilder and don't expect it to be an autiobiography of Pa's Half Pint from the TV show. A lot of people are complaining that they thought this book was more focused on the behind the scenes of the Little House on the Prairie tv show and so they were disappointed to find that part only fills a small portion of this book. That makes sense to me as this book is the autobiography of the life of Melissa Gilbert. She is a forty something female, and so the Little House years made up for less than a quarter of her life so far. Those who thought this was as a Little House focused tale didn't research the book before they purchased it and acted on the name of the book alone. I am a lover of all things Little House. My ten year old son knows (from me) that there are three Laura Ingalls Wilders. The first and most important, is the true woman herself that lived the pioneer life firsthand and later wrote about it. The second is the Laura Ingalls Wilder in the book, very similar to the real Laura but these books were a work of fiction. Lots of things were changed from real life in the stories. The third is the Laura Ingalls Wilder made famous in the "Little House on the Prairie" tv show. I love all three Lauras. Going into this book I wanted to hear that Melissa was a sweetie just like half pint. Realistically I knew I would hear about her struggle to get away from that image, as well as read about her struggles with alcohol and other things. I knew she had been married a couple of times, and I knew she nearly married Rob Lowe. What I didn't expect is to find this book utterly compelling. Melissa never was Laura Ingalls Wilder. But she was and is an amazing person in her own right. It is her faults and failings that make her so relatable. Above all, she is (and always was) a good person. In Prairie Tale, we get to see her grown from a sheltered little girl who missed her father into a young woman who rebelled like most young woman do. She just had the Hollywood life and did it in a different style... Then she matured, overcame her troubles, and went on to change Hollywood the right way. She found her place in the world as a wife and mother. There are some juicy Hollywood tidbits that I definitely enjoyed but this book isnt' really a tell all, tear people apart book. It really is simply one woman's life story. The good, the bad and the ugly. If you can't stand the idea that Melissa Gilbert didn't live a Laura Ingalls life, than maybe you should skip this book. I found the story intriguing. I wish there had been more pictures, and I wish there had been more detail about her family life currently with her sons and husband. I wouldn't have minded more Little House info either..but this is a good autobiography and I found it to be a page-turner.
Rating:  -
Very interesting. Melissa Gilbert shares her story of being on Little House and her life after Little House. Very good read. Would recommend it.
Rating: -
Melissa Gilbert has done a great job of relaying her life whether or not she used a "ghost writer"...It is a very enjoyable read, and let's us know that she did not exactly live the charmed life after her "little house" days.
Rating: -
This book was what I believe was an honest memoir of the life of Melissa Gilbert, and how she tried to cope with growing up on and off the set of Little House and her many other TV movies. She tells us the inside stories about Mike Landon, her long on and off relationship with Rob Lowe and how she finally becomes settled after a long haul of drug and alcohol abuse as well as soul searching. I liked this book, and felt it was written from the heart, aimed to help Melissa and her audience in their personal journey towards healing, and perhaps to shed some light on growing up knowing you're adopted.
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