Summary of Karen Grassle's Bright Lights, Prairie Dust

By IRB Media

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book.

Book Preview: #1 I grew up with the living embodiment of the strength, devotion, and intelligence Laura Ingalls Wilder described in her books. My mother, Frae Ella Berry, was a one-room-schoolhouse teacher who married a man who was a devoted partner but whose restlessness also challenged all her strength.

#2 My mother’s story was that she and her sister Edith, her big sister, grew up in San Jose. Their father, who they called Daddy, had met their mother, Frae, in a take-out stand in Missouri. They left Missouri after their mother died.

#3 My parents had wanted to have a family, but they had suffered several miscarriages. When they heard about Dr. Penland, they decided to try again. Their baby was positioned and ready, but I wasn’t.

#4 I was born in 1942. My parents were very optimistic, and when the doctor delivered me, my parents were able to buy a house in Oakland. But things did not go well in Gilroy, and my parents had to move to help their sister.

• Language: English
• Publisher: IRB Media
• Release date: Mar 7, 2022
• ISBN: 9781669356790

IRB Media

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Book preview

Insights on Karen Grassle's Bright Lights, Prairie Dust

Contents

Insights from Chapter 1

Insights from Chapter 2

Insights from Chapter 3

Insights from Chapter 4

Insights from Chapter 5

Insights from Chapter 6

Insights from Chapter 7

Insights from Chapter 8

Insights from Chapter 9

Insights from Chapter 10

Insights from Chapter 11

Insights from Chapter 12

Insights from Chapter 13

Insights from Chapter 14

Insights from Chapter 15

Insights from Chapter 16

Insights from Chapter 17

Insights from Chapter 18

Insights from Chapter 19

Insights from Chapter 20

Insights from Chapter 21

Insights from Chapter 22

Insights from Chapter 1

#1

I grew up with the living embodiment of the strength, devotion, and intelligence Laura Ingalls Wilder described in her books. My mother, Frae Ella Berry, was a one-room-schoolhouse teacher who married a man who was a devoted partner but whose restlessness also challenged all her strength.

#2

My mother’s story was that she and her sister Edith, her big sister, grew up in San Jose. Their father, who they called Daddy, had met their mother, Frae, in a take-out stand in Missouri. They left Missouri after their mother died.

#3

My parents had wanted to have a family, but they had suffered several miscarriages. When they heard about Dr. Penland, they decided to try again. Their baby was positioned and ready, but I wasn’t.

#4

I was born in 1942. My parents were very optimistic, and when the doctor delivered me, my parents were able to buy a house in Oakland. But things did not go well in Gilroy, and my parents had to move to help their sister.

#5

When I was a child, I loved going to visit my uncle Harry in Ventura. I loved traveling by train with my father. I was excited to be moving to Ventura with my mother.

Insights from Chapter 2

#1

I was excited about moving to Ventura, because it was a big city and I would have many friends to play with. I was also excited about going to church, because it made me feel like Jesus could fix anything.

#2

I had met Toni at Brownie Day Camp in 1950, and we became friends. We would meet up every summer and spend time together. She was wise, and she seemed less gawky than me. She knew everything about nature.

#3

I was a small-town Realtor, and I spent my days working and my evenings with the family. I loved my life in Ventura.

#4

My father was a real estate agent, and he was always on the go. He didn’t have time for me, and he didn’t have money