It takes quite a bit of talent to play a real villain. It takes even more than that if one is casted into the role at age eleven. And it requires a very remarkable person to play one of the most hated characters on TV from age 11 to 19. Alison Arngrim is that special person.
Alison Arngrim's biography (and life) isn't all about Little House On The Prairie, but Nellie Oleson is most definitely there as the character who shaped Ms. Arngrim, helped her cope with an ultra-dysfunctional family and personal tragedies. Nellie has saved Alison's sanity and probably also her life, and gave her an outlet to anger that otherwise would have probably led her to self destruction (just look at her friend and colleague Melissa Gilbert).
The book, despite some painful memories and a very complicated childhood, is written with a lot of humor and grace. It's fun, at times hilarious and allows the reader to hate Melissa Sue Anderson (Mary Ingalls on the show), something apparently many of us needed.
Bottom Line: worth your time.
Alison Arngrim- Confessions Of A Prairie Bitch ($25.99 hardcover) is available on amazon.com and just about any half decent bookseller for far less than official retail price.
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