Way I see it : A look back at my life on Little House

When I heard about this book, I literally could not wait to dive into it. I was like a kid on Christmas morning, opening the book with the same type of awe usually afforded to that Red Ryder BB gun or Barbie's deluxe penthouse. So I should probably begin this review with a disclaimer - - I love Little House on the Prairie. I loved the books when I was little, I loved the television show and I love reading about production of the show and what went on behind the scenes.

The Way I See It is Melissa Anderson's tale of growing up on the set of one of the most beloved and iconic television shows of the 1970s, from her initial audition to taping her last episode seven years later. The book itself is broken into sections for each year of the show more show, with specific episodes highlighted. Ms. Anderson recounts behind the scenes tales of everything from a Dinty Moore beef stew overload (what the cast members ate during meal scenes where they had stew) to disputes between co-stars.

Michael Landon and Karen Grassle (the actress who played Caroline Ingalls) would apparently butt heads throughout much of the run of the show. Grassle was a classically trained actress who wished to have a more significant role on the show, against Landon's wishes. Landon himself was revealed as a controlling jokester with a mean streak who could be difficult to work with, particularly once he began an affair with Anderson's stand-in, but who could still remain a compassionate and caring man.

Ms. Anderson herself did not go without a bit of friction, as she recounted the awkwardness between herself and co-star Radames Pera, who played early love interest John Sanderson, and their first kiss.

Ms. Anderson recounts these instances with class and grace, without resorting to mudslinging or name calling that is often peppered in Hollywood memoirs. Also missing from Ms. Anderson's memoir, happily, is the all too tragic tale of alcohol, drugs and other vices that are too common in child actors today. In fact, Ms. Anderson appears to have escaped unscathed from the downside of the entertainment biz and she comes across as a very level headed and secure adult.

I finished this book in two or three days. It was an easy read and fun one, albeit one without dirt and gossip. I very much enjoyed Ms. Anderson's memories of the show once Mary went blind and appreciated how terrified she herself was to take on such an enormous undertaking (and remember, she herself was only fifteen when she had to portray a newly blind teenager, which she did stunningly).

Any readers that are looking for a tabloid type of recounting will be disappointed and I encourage those readers not to pick up this book. For those readers who love and appreciate Little House on the Prairie, this book will be a fun and informative read. As the title suggests, this is not Melissa Anderson's complete biography so don't approach it as such. It's her life during the run of Little House, so it does include the performances she gave on films and television shows between 1974 and 1981 but nothing prior or since.

Was there anything I found disappointing in the book? I do wish there had been more mentioned about the relationship between Ms. Anderson and Melissa Gilbert, who played sisters, as well as with Allison Arngrim, who played Nellie Oleson. I also would have loved reading a behind the scenes recap on each and every single Little House episode but, of course, that would have increased the size of the book exponentially.

All things considered, I enjoyed my time back on the prairie with Ms. Anderson and wouldn't hesitate to recommend the book. show less

A well written book that gives insight to the behind the scenes on "Little House"--Melissa doesn't hide anything, telling us about Michael's affair, Melissa Sue Gilbert's attitude, and the backbiting that went on set side. I liked this book much more than I liked Melissa Sue Gilbert's book. Hers was too sugar coated. This one wasn't.

I read this RIGHT after reading Alison Argrim's book and boy was I confused. Alison describes "Missy" as withdrawn, snooty, and going through so many childhood problems of her own that no one really knew her at all. So I was interested to see that MSA saw herself as a pretty outgoing, happy and adjusted young woman. Not saying she isn't but the books couldn't have been more opposite. Perhaps I would have liked this book more if I had read it first, but I went in expecting to find out why MSA was so withdrawn from the rest of the cast and was shocked to find out she really didnt view it that way at all

I read this RIGHT after reading Alison Argrim's book and boy was I confused. Alison describes "Missy" as withdrawn, snooty, and going through so many childhood problems of her own that no one really knew her at all. So I was interested to see that MSA saw herself as a pretty outgoing, happy and adjusted young woman. Not saying she isn't but the books couldn't have been more opposite. Perhaps I would have liked this book more if I had read it first, but I went in expecting to find out why MSA was so withdrawn from the rest of the cast and was shocked to find out she really didnt view it that way at all

Melissa Anderson takes us through her time on Little House from beginning to end. We get to hear from her what it was like to be cast as the other Ingalls daughter (the book, being written from Laura's perspective, didn't really deal with Mary that much) and what being a child actor really entails.

Funny and honest, Anderson gives us a full account on her years working Little House and what it was like when she discovered Mary was going to be blind, what working with Michael Landon was like, and watching her character be used less and less. She mentions what she sees of the Landon family life and the problems she was around for (watching Michael's daughter get upset at Magic Mountain as Michael was surrounded by fans, dealing with show more Michael's affair with her stand-in and watching his marriage collapse).

Most memoirs are told more from the perspective of a person's life, while their works get a casual mention. Anderson turns that slightly and focuses entirely from the moment she got the job as Mary to the moment she left the show forever (with some other work tossed in during her period off the show). Chapters and sections are broken down by seasons of the show.

A very nice read. show less

Another autobiography that could have used a lot more editing, some writing assitance, and a few more revisions.

Hated - oh so strongly hated - the faux screenplay text portions of the book. Geez. Just tell your story. Don't make us parse through a fake screenplay to figure out what's going on.

Hated the line by line re-enactments of individual Little House episodes. We know - we've watched them. We don't need you telling us all about them again. Spend more time on how you felt in those episodes, what challenges you faced in the acting, what about the episode touched you (or didn't), what you remember about it, what you learned, etc.

There was a good book in here that just wasn't allowed to be free.

In the end I just felt ambivalent about show more the entire book. show less

The Way I See It: A Look Back At My Life On Little House by Melissa Anderson was the most disappointing memoir I’ve EVER read. I can’t even begin to tell you how excited I was to read this book, especially after meeting Ms. Anderson at the Book Expo America in May. I even had a nice conversation with Melissa and she was kind enough to not only autograph my book but she posed for a picture with me as well. You seem, I loved Little House on The Prairie, as did most girls back in the 70′s and 80′s, and I had read all of the Little House books as well. Little House was an American phenomenon, a major part of my childhood, and I needed to hear what Melissa Sue Anderson felt and experienced while working on that show. As much as that show more show meant to me, I was desperate to find out what it meant to her. Of all the girls on the show, I identified with Mary’s character the most, as we had the failing vision thing and manners thing in common. It breaks my heart to have to admit my disappointment publically, but I feel I should always write my book reviews truthfully.

I suppose this book is so disappointing to me because it was written so detached, so unemotional, so coldly. Nothing special or deep came from the author, and when a person is writing about one of the most beloved television series of all time, shouldn’t one use emotion when describing those memories? My prime example of her lack of emotion is this – the words she used to describe Michael Landon’s death. Melissa Gilbert and Alison Arngrim went on and on in their memoirs about his death and wrote of the shock and pain they experienced due to his passing. Here is what Melissa wrote: “When Mike died on July 1st, 1991, USA Today called to ask me for a quote. I told them that he was “America’s Family Man.” It was the truth.” Three short, cold and totally unemotional sentences. Uh, gee Mary, thanks for sharing that. How very deep of you. (Actually, what I want to write is WTF?, but I’m trying to keep this positive.)

Every celebrity encounter she ever had is written in the style of ”I met so-and-so. He was a nice person. People loved him.” I noticed all Sammy Davis Jr. got was three sentences, too. She even dated Frank Sinatra Jr. and barely wrote about his famous father, which nearly killed me. Even worse, the whole novel is written as either an actual script – Melissa writes many of her big moments using a screenplay-esque style, which was highly annoying, or she wrote as if she was actually Mary, and describes episode after episode, after episode as if she wrote down what she saw while watching the DVD’s of the show. Example: “I scream “Ma” and Adam yells for someone to carry the wounded Caroline back into the school. I insist on going with Adam to look for the missing child, saying, “The children are my responsibility, too.” We make our way as best we can in this terrible wind, dirt flying into our eyes. Defeated, I yell, “Adam, we’ll never find her.” Again, what????? Imagine reading 239 pages of mostly a blow-by-blow of what happened on set, without very much else from the author. She, she mentions it was hot, it was dusty, and Michael Landon had a temper and didn’t like to wear underpants. Shocking stuff.

Melissa Anderson did manage to go in-depth a bit about her experience learning how to act blind, and that chapter was certainly the best of the book. She had plenty of possible great chapters, such as the time she met Stephen Spielberg and auditioned for him, but she mangled it and told it screenplay style and again detached. She could have done wonders with the drama on set with Melissa and Alison, but the snarkiest she got was saying something like Melissa Gilbert acted as young as possible on set for as long as possible. Sigh. Obviously, a celebrity memoir is supposed to give us dirt and gossip, and we all know these girls did not get along, so we want to hear about it. Anyone who writes a celebrity memoir without sharing something is going to disappoint their audience. I would have rather watched the show on DVD then read her dialogue of the show’s major moments.

You can read the rest of my review here:

http://thegirlfromtheghetto.wordpress.com/2010/07/03/mary-mary-why-you-buggin/ show less