Monday, April 27, 2009

Melissa Gilbert's Biography Coming June 2009 from Simon & Schuster



Little House on the Prairie fans will be thrilled to hear that Melissa Gilbert, who played Laura (Half-pint) Ingalls Wilder on this classic television series has written a biography titled, Prairie Tale. This book is due to be released by Simon & Schuster in June 2009.

Synopsis from the publisher's website:



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.


You can pre-order Prairie Tale from Simon & Schuster's website or at Amazon.com.

2 comments:

Rebecca said...

This sounds like a good book.

Lorrie said...

Hmmm... after reading your review I may have changed my mind on wanting to purchase this book. Sounds like an interesting read and a way to find out more about Melissa then we already know.