I adore the Little House on the Prairie books. The TV series from the 1970s didn’t have much to do with the books, despite some of its charms. I was heartened, at first, when the new Netflix series was announced. It promised to be true to the books. From the detailed reviews I am now reading, that’s the case except in two important respects.
In the books, Indians were portrayed as pioneers viewed and experienced them at the time: Hostile, different, dangerous and in some individual cases, sometimes better than that. The Netflix series, according to woke reviewers (e.g. Hollywood Reporter) who consider this a GOOD thing, coo that the new series portrays the Indians as just regular people with close connections to the Ingalls family. And ditto for blacks. But this is not how it WAS. And it’s not how it was portrayed in the books, either. Black and Indian issues were not central themes in these books, but Hollywood has decided to make them the central themes of the books now.
Why? Same old story. Because Hollywood cannot help itself. Hollywood’s using these magnificent works of historical fiction to advance its collectivist, ideological narratives of 2026. No, thank you. I don’t need or want a lecture or morality play to make leftists feel better about their bottomless pit of fragile self-esteem. I believe I will skip the new series and reread the books instead.
If you aren’t woke, if you love Laura Ingalls Wilder’s books, but also love the new series, I will listen to what you have to say.