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447 reviews for:
Confessions of a Prairie Bitch: How I Survived Nellie Oleson and Learned to Love Being Hated
Alison Arngrim
4.13 AVERAGE
447 reviews for:
Confessions of a Prairie Bitch: How I Survived Nellie Oleson and Learned to Love Being Hated
Alison Arngrim
4.13 AVERAGE
I loved the Little House books as a kid and have seen many episodes of the TV series so when I saw this book in my suggested list, I wanted to hear Nellie's story. I always wondered why the show didn't follow the books, and now I have the answer. In her book Alison quotes Michael Landon's response to the same question "Have you read them? There's an entire chapter on how to make an apple fritter. I can't film that." It all makes sense now! I had no idea of Alison's rough home life and social activism in her adult years. This was a very interesting read and I would recommend it to any Little House fan.
Arngrim, Alison. Confessions of a Prairie Bitch: How I Survived Nellie Oleson and Learned to Love Being Hated. It Books, 2010.
This book chronicles Alison Arngrim's life as Nellie Oleson on the television series Little House on the Prairie. She discusses life behind the scenes, the abuse she faced at the hands of her brother, and growing up beyond Little House.
I don't often enjoy celebrity memoirs, but this book was both descriptive and succinct. Arngrim didn't dwell on her life before Little House or bore the reader with an inordinate amount of details about the making of the show, but there was enough "meat" to this book to make me keep turning pages, even when I had other books on my to-read shelf. I also appreciated Arngrim's discussion of her molestation/rape at the hands of her brother and how she eventually came to terms with it. Recommended.
Recommended for: adults, fans of Little House
Red Flags: discussions of rape, molestation, alcoholism, drug use, etc.
Overall Rating: 4/5 stars
This book chronicles Alison Arngrim's life as Nellie Oleson on the television series Little House on the Prairie. She discusses life behind the scenes, the abuse she faced at the hands of her brother, and growing up beyond Little House.
I don't often enjoy celebrity memoirs, but this book was both descriptive and succinct. Arngrim didn't dwell on her life before Little House or bore the reader with an inordinate amount of details about the making of the show, but there was enough "meat" to this book to make me keep turning pages, even when I had other books on my to-read shelf. I also appreciated Arngrim's discussion of her molestation/rape at the hands of her brother and how she eventually came to terms with it. Recommended.
Recommended for: adults, fans of Little House
Red Flags: discussions of rape, molestation, alcoholism, drug use, etc.
Overall Rating: 4/5 stars
The only Little House cast memoir you need to read. Allison spills interesting trivia, tells hilarious stories, and isn't afraid to poke fun at the series. Melissa Gilbert's book is way too self-absorbed; Allison is refreshingly down to earth. Having overcome an abusive childhood and other heartbreaks, she has wrestled with the big questions in life and emerged the wiser for it.
If you like the 'Little House On The Prairie' television show even a little bit, I highly recommend this book! Alison is such a cool person! She brought so much humor and openness to her stories about her life and her time filming 'little house' that I found it hard to put this one down! I had no idea that she was such an amazing activist also!
Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll be re-watching my favorite Nellie episodes of 'Little House On The Prairie!'
TW: sexual assault
Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll be re-watching my favorite Nellie episodes of 'Little House On The Prairie!'
TW: sexual assault
Trigger Warning-Alison Arngrim doesn't shy away from discussing the sexual abuse she endured from her brother and her fight against a loophole—something called the"incest exception"—which sexual predators to avoid jail time if they were related to their victims. As she mentions in her beautifully titled book, 'Confessions of a Prairie Bitch: How I Survived Nellie Oleson and Learned to Love Being Hated'--this law still exists in other states in the US, but it happened to her in California.
With that statement it might sound as if this is a memoir focused solely on trauma. Arngrim, famous for being one of THE most hated and hateful characters on television in the 1980s holds nothing back from her family to the audition that landed her the most famous role of her acting career to the escapades she got up to with Melissa "Half-pint" Gilbert. Nellie Oleson made a heretofore traumatized girl more brave (Nellie being the outspoken prairie bitch and all) and constantly recognized. Some of the fan encounters she details are intense.
Being a Gen-X kid with fond memories of watching Little House on Monday nights, Arngrim's anecdotes about what production of the show was like were hilarious to read. Her segue into activism came via her other best friend from the show, Steve Tracey, who played her on-screen husband Percival who died of AIDS in 1986. Tracey's decision to go public with he diagnosis inspired Arngrim to speak on AIDs education and awareness at a time when many were afraid to learn more. She used her Little House fame to even greater extent upon becoming a volunteer for National Association to Protect Children and following Tracey's earlier lead in going public with her sexual abuse experiences.
Many thanks to my friend Brad for recommending this one to me. I loved this one.
With that statement it might sound as if this is a memoir focused solely on trauma. Arngrim, famous for being one of THE most hated and hateful characters on television in the 1980s holds nothing back from her family to the audition that landed her the most famous role of her acting career to the escapades she got up to with Melissa "Half-pint" Gilbert. Nellie Oleson made a heretofore traumatized girl more brave (Nellie being the outspoken prairie bitch and all) and constantly recognized. Some of the fan encounters she details are intense.
Being a Gen-X kid with fond memories of watching Little House on Monday nights, Arngrim's anecdotes about what production of the show was like were hilarious to read. Her segue into activism came via her other best friend from the show, Steve Tracey, who played her on-screen husband Percival who died of AIDS in 1986. Tracey's decision to go public with he diagnosis inspired Arngrim to speak on AIDs education and awareness at a time when many were afraid to learn more. She used her Little House fame to even greater extent upon becoming a volunteer for National Association to Protect Children and following Tracey's earlier lead in going public with her sexual abuse experiences.
Many thanks to my friend Brad for recommending this one to me. I loved this one.
This was a fun read. It was really interesting getting a glimpse into some of what went on behind the scenes on the show, and also getting to know Alison outside of her character.
I loved Little House on the Prairie...the books and the TV show. This was a fun look at the tv series and the perspective of someone we all loved to hate. Alison's story is pretty incredible and she tells it in a way that sucks you in...I couldn't stop reading.
What a fantastic memoir! I like to listen to memoirs as audiobooks if they are narrated by the author, and this doesn't disappoint! Alison Arngrim and her unmistakable voice tell a story that is sad, heartwarming, funny, and SO interesting. Her perseverance and pursuit of personal happiness are inspiring. If you like "Little House" you will love the behind the scenes stories. If you just like stories about people who have overcome difficulties and use their platforms for good, told with sarcasm and wit, you'll like this one. Highly recommend listening to the audiobook.
If you watched Little House on the Prairie as a kid then I suggest you read this book. As a kid, I knew her as mean Nellie Oleson. I knew she was an actress and most likely different from her character. Alison Arngrim does a great job telling her story. She grew up in a dysfunctional family and doesn’t shy away from her trauma. As a child actor, I was impressed by her professionalism. I enjoyed her stories about the time on the Little House set. I was struck by how Alison never really spoke badly of other actors, even the long running “joke” about Melissa Sue Anderson wasn’t truly harmful. I was impressed with her work during the early years of the AIDS and helping to change laws around sexual assault. I knew she did stand up and it came through in her writing. The book was engaging especially if you enjoy catching an episode of Little House when flipping channels.