Prairie Lotus: A Story for These Times

I was intrigued when I read the summary for Linda Sue Park’s Prairie Lotus as I had always been a fan of the Little House on the Prairie series. Though the popular Wilder series focused on a little girl’s family’s life on untamed land, Prairie Lotus focuses more on discrimination faced by a little Amerasian girl called Hanna in a Dakota frontier town.

Set in one of these bustling towns during the late 1800s, Hanna’s dad tries to make a living despite the wariness of folks back then for anyone who is connected with someone “not of their own kind”. Hanna struggles to deal with prejudices from the townsfolk as she tries to finish her schooling, help her dad out at the dress shop, and make new friends.

The themes of racism and bigotry were heavily emphasized throughout the book. Understandably so, since that’s the main problem encountered by the protagonist. However, in light of today’s sensitivity to racial discrimination and prejudices, I almost felt overwhelmed by the amount of references to it. The Author’s Notes at the conclusion of the book does explain that the incidents of racism in the book were “largely autobiographical”. I get that. I experienced some of the same questions about the shape of the eyes and show of surprise when people realize that my English is actually quite good, but I got these same reactions from Filipinos back home, and not just from Americans after I moved over here. In other words, the setting for this story may be in the Midwest, but those experiences of prejudices are not limited to nor are they exclusive to white America. Park’s author notes indicate that she does not agree with the argument that these prejudices are a “product of their time” and that it was no excuse to treat others as “lesser”. I disagree because context does matter. It is the same credo that justifies modern-day justice warriors to tear down statues and rewrite history–shameful they may be. Does that justify how people treated minorities in the past? Of course not. But to condemn people in the past and villainize an entire race for it is just as bad, especially from those who claim one needs to be tolerant of diversity and racial differences.

Readers may benefit from reading an anecdotal narrative during this historical period from the point of view of an “outsider”. The incidences of discrimination and prejudices need not be swept under the rug as they were alive and present during those times. However, I would caution against younger readers reading this without the guidance of an adult who can also present the topic in its correct historical context. Everything has to be presented in that light. We can always lecture others that “racism is wrong”, but as the author also notes, “future generations may also find current and widely held attitudes to be lacking”. It just proves that condemnation of the past is almost always a moot point; we can only learn from it.