3.0

2021: Here's the deal: I've never watched Little House on the Prairie, I don't know any of the people in this book, and I don't see that changing even after having read the book.

This was another one of those random, end of year books that I get into because I am trying to fill a Reading Challenge prompt (this one being "A book with the word 'bitch' in the title", of which there are surprisingly few!) I really did think that after reading this book, I might be interested in checking out LHOTP. But that was not the case, and I am going to continue to live my Laura Ingalls-Wilder-free life.

This book should come with a huge trigger warning, for not only sexual abuse, but also incest. Arngrim certainly had a very troubled childhood, and she does not hold back from getting into some pretty graphic details. She approaches the stories from a very direct, practical, and processed point of view (by which I mean that she has been to a lot of therapy). I'm thrilled for her seemingly success in surviving her abuse and thriving later in life.

I honestly think this was a pretty good memoir - it was detailed and kept me interested. However, without being able to reference any of the touchstones used in this story, I have to rate it lower. We progressed straight from fun stories from the set of LHOTP to horrible abuse to wow, I'm a functioning and successful adult who advocates on behalf of HIV+ people! It's a bit of a jump when you don't get any of the references, but I can't help but think that if I had been a fan of the show, all I would want is fun stories from set, followed by what the actors are up to now. And that's exactly what you get from this book.