Let's be real... I don't/didn't watch Little House on the Prairie, and I refused to read the books.  I don't know why I couldn't do it... but somewhere along my journey as a young girl I decided that I didn't want to watch or read things that could possibly make me cry.  Not sure why, but that still has somewhat of an impact on the television I watch and books I read.  It's not so intense anymore... but anyways.  I didn't really know Melissa Gilbert.  I saw her picture on the book in Barnes and Noble near Valerie Bertinelli's books.  After reading the back cover, I was hooked.  Although I didn't purchase the book right away --I was low on cash, I had this feeling inside that I had to go back and get the book.  So, after a few days of working, I headed back to the bookshelf and bought her book.  I'm not completely sure what I was drawn to, but I was fascinated by the Brat Pack, Rob Lowe and the story of a young woman who dealt with addiction.  Either way, I loved it.  And she seems to be the end of celebrity autobiography kick I had going.  I was almost disappointed that I had finished her book because there weren't a lot of other autobiographies I was interested in at the moment.  But this was definitely the way to go out!

Prairie Tales: A Memoir by Melissa Gilbert:
No one told me that Melissa Gilbert's younger sister was the fantastic Sara Gilbert.  That was a nice and fairly irrelevant revelation on my behalf.  Let me first comment on the woman's writing style.  I loved it.  It easy to read with a nice feeling that I was reading the words of a very intelligent woman.  There were hints of sarcasm and wit within the book.

Some people mentioned that they didn't feel like they could relate to this woman.  I could see where some of that might be true--if you are simply focusing on Melissa growing up on the television set among some of the greatest of Hollywood as her relatives.  I think that is part of the beauty.  Once you look beyond the most obvious differences, Melissa really has lived a beautiful life that is not completely dissimilar to those living outside of the Hollywood bubble.  Melissa has family issues, relationship issues, problems with alcohol, a child born prematurely and a time when she needed dig within herself and discover and embrace her own strengths and weaknesses.  If none of this is relatable, you must be pretty perfect--or you're just ridiculous. (I still am frustrated having read that.)

So, since reading this book, I read it again.  The second time I made some notes with post-its on the pages.  I decided that because there was SOOOOOO much that I wanted to cover, I would do a similar response to the quotes as I did with Valerie Bertinelli's book.

"That was the emergence of the porcelain doll, the little girl who did and said everything she was told, didn't complain, and would learn to tell others that everyone in her life, whether at home or on a TV set, loved one another even when there were serious problems.  The porcelain doll would wear outfits made of wool even though they gave her a rash.  She would always smile, always have a perfect hairdo, and always say the right things no matter what else was going on in her life."

I actually think this is one of THE most telling and relatable situations.  It amazes me that these feelings that she had were not really related to her experiences on growing up in the industry that she did.  These feelings seem to come from a place that is familiar to many people.  Especially when your parents are from that earlier generation.  These repressed feelings clearly come back to haunt her once they have been bottled up for too long.  I think that this is a lesson that is important to all people.  We need to find a healthy way to "play with our toys" and let out or emotions.  We need to learn how to be open and honest with at least one other person in this world because fragile dolls and children don't really mix that well.

"'this only means something better is going to come along.' ... bad things happen in order to open the door for something good to happen.  In other words, bad things were kind of like the reverse side of the karmic tapestry, one half of the yin and yang, of fate--where there's good, there's also going to be bad; where there's a kiss, there's also going to be a tear."

I really love this idea.  I know, I know... it is totally just saying that "When one door closes another one opens," but this explanation and alternate view actually made more sense to me.  I love to think of this as I am job searching.  Looking for a teaching job in Michigan is quite difficult and I haven't been getting any interviews.  But I know, that those who are not interested in me aren't the right fit.  I wouldn't be happy, my students wouldn't be happy and my peers wouldn't be happy.  I'm not sure why we would all be so unhappy, but I know that all these rejections are going to lead up to what could be the job of my dreams.

"'Or you can call me Moisha."  He looked down at me with a scrunched-up face.
'What?'
'I don't know,' I said, backpedaling slightly.  'I said you could also call me Moisha if you wanted.'
'Moisha?' he said.
'I Heard it somewhere,' I said. 'It seemed cool.'

'I think we'll stick with Half Pint.'"

This quote has little to do with life lessons and more with me giggling.  I loved this portion of the book.  It is about Melissa starting on the back-door pilot for Little House and then the actual beginning of production.  It's a hilarious remembrance of Melissa first getting the nickname "Half Pint" from Michael Landon.  Her suggestion is hysterical! (At least to me!)

So... there are at least four or five more quotes I want to include... I think I will make this a two-parter! Or three!

Follow Melissa Gilbert on twitter @MelissaEGilbert
xoJLG