Karen Grassle, the beloved actress who played Ma on Little House on the Prairie,
grew up at the edge of the Pacific Ocean in a family where love was
plentiful but alcohol wreaked havoc. In this candid memoir, Grassle
reveals her journey to succeed as an actress even as she struggles to
overcome depression, combat her own dependence on alcohol, and find true
love. With humor and hard-won wisdom, Grassle takes readers on an
inspiring journey through the political turmoil on ’60s campuses, on to
studies with some of the most celebrated artists at the famed London
Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts, and ultimately behind the curtains
of Broadway stages and storied Hollywood sets. In these pages, readers
meet actors and directors who have captivated us on screen and stage as
they fall in love, betray and befriend, and don costumes only to reveal
themselves. We know Karen Grassle best as the proud prairie woman
Caroline Ingalls, with her quiet strength and devotion to family, but
this memoir introduces readers to the complex, funny, rebellious, and
soulful woman who, in addition to being the force behind those many
strong women she played, fought passionately—as a writer, producer, and
activist—on behalf of equal rights for women. Raw, emotional, and
tender, Bright Lights celebrates and honors womanhood, in all its complexity.