LOS ANGELES A new documentary about the life and work of Little House on the Prairie author Laura Ingalls Wilder puts her novels scattered racist references in historical context, the films producers said.
Wilders work reflects the perspective of her family and attitudes in the late 1800s Midwest, the setting for the coming-of-age novels based on her childhood, said Mary McDonagh Murphy, director and producer of PBS American Masters biography.
I think we can count on her as a reliable narrator for much of that, she said.
Michael Kantor, the executive producer of Laura Ingalls Wilder, and Murphy said the documentary's development relied on experts, including the head of Native American initiatives at the Minnesota Historical Society.
Weve been working very carefully with the academic community to make sure we tell a fair and truthful history, which we think will be no less interesting, Kantor said.