These Happy Golden Years is an autobiographical children's novel written by Laura Ingalls Wilder and published in 1943, the eighth of nine books in her Little House series – although it originally ended it.

[1] It is based on her later adolescence near De Smet, South Dakota, featuring her short time as a teacher, beginning at age 15, and her courtship with Almanzo Wilder.

At 15, she begins work as a teacher twelve miles away from her home in South Dakota to earn money for her sister Mary’s college education.

[5] Preeminent American literature scholars John Miller and Ann Romines both acknowledge Wilder’s literary talent in articulating feminist western pioneerism.

Literary critic Ann Romines argues that These Happy Golden Years received the least amount of revision and oversight from Lane compared to other books in the series, writing that “these are vital female plots without the end-stops of climax and denouement.”[6] She posits that Ma’s character grows in importance throughout the series and becomes especially pertinent in These Happy Golden Years in contrast to Pa’s pioneering impulses.

Laura’s struggle with her feminine identity implicitly resonates with American girls and women, Romines argues, explaining the book’s continuous appeal.