A Prairie Faith: The Religious Life of Laura Ingalls Wilder (Library of Religious Biography (LRB))

What role did Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Christian faith play in her life and writing?

The beloved Little Housebooks by Laura Ingalls Wilder have sold over 60 million copies since their publication in the first half of the twentieth century. Even her unpolished memoir, Pioneer Girl, which tells the true story behind the children’s books, was widely embraced upon its release in 2014. Despite Wilder’s enduring popularity, few fans know much about her Christian beliefs and practice.

John J. Fry shines a light on Wilder’s quiet faith in this unique biography. Fry surveys the Little Housebooks, Pioneer Girl, and Wilder’s lesser-known writings, including her letters, poems, and newspaper columns. Analyzing this wealth of sources, he reveals how Wilder’s down-to-earth faith and Christian morality influenced her life and work. Interweaving these investigations with Wilder’s perennially interesting life story, A Prairie Faith illustrates the Christian practices of pioneers and rural farmers during this dynamic period of American history.

Webster County Literacy Council Ella Dickey Literacy Award (2025)

Foreword Reviews INDIES Book of the Year Award Biography (2024)

John J. Fry is professor of history and humanities at Geneva College in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania. Previously, he taught at Trinity Christian College in Palos Heights, Illinois. He is the author of The Farm Press, Reform, and Rural Change, 1895–1920 and the editor of Almost Pioneers: One Couple’s Homesteading Adventure in the West.