Bright Lights, Prairie Dust: Reflections on Life, Loss, and Love from Little House's Ma

Karen Grassle, the beloved actress who played Ma on Little House on the Prairie,grew up at the edge of the Pacific Ocean in a family where love wasplentiful but alcohol wreaked havoc. In this candid memoir, Grasslereveals her journey to succeed as an actress even as she struggles toovercome depression, combat her own dependence on alcohol, and find truelove. With humor and hard-won wisdom, Grassle takes readers on aninspiring journey through the political turmoil on '60s campuses, on tostudies with some of the most celebrated artists at the famed LondonAcademy of Music and Dramatic Arts, and ultimately behind the curtainsof Broadway stages and storied Hollywood sets. In these pages, readersmeet actors and directors who have captivated us on screen and stage asthey fall in love, betray and befriend, and don costumes only to revealthemselves. We know Karen Grassle best as the proud prairie womanCaroline Ingalls, with her quiet strength and devotion to family, butthis memoir introduces readers to the complex, funny, rebellious, andsoulful woman who, in addition to being the force behind those manystrong women she played, fought passionately--as a writer, producer, andactivist--on behalf of equal rights for women. Raw, emotional, andtender, Bright Lights celebrates and honors womanhood, in all its complexity.