The Most Influential Book - Little House on the Prairie

A log cabin sits by the edge of a stream. The wind stirs the willow branches, dipping them further into the cool water. The corn stalks rustle in the breeze, the birds chatter in the trees, and the smell of wild flowers freshen the air. All is peaceful in the great west, Indian country. The Little House on the Prairie has greatly influenced my life by starting my love for history, and eventually leading me to my career choice.
When I first picked up Little House on the Prairie, I judged it by its cover and immediately set it back down. I had no interest in history then, only an interest for the present. Later though, when I was bored I picked Little House on the Prairie up, and started reading. After that, I could not put it down; the depth that the book went into amazed me. My love for history started blossoming then and there. Every history book I came across, I started reading it. It did not seem to matter; if it was a textbook or a novel I read it. It did not matter if it was about American History, or World History, I read them all. I learned so much about the history of the world that I knew that when I grew up, I wanted to have a job that dealt with history.
First off, I wanted to be an archeologist. To be able to find keys to the past with my own hands, as I shifted through the dirt. To be able to find true treasures and be able to know the history behind them. However, my focuses shifted before my eyes and I saw my dream of being an archeologist disappear before me. Yes, I wanted to be able to shift through the dirt looking for true treasures, but how would I support myself? The only way to do that was to get grants, and those are few and far between. I also knew that I would have to go to school, and how would I pay for all of my schooling with only grants? Nevertheless, I know that one day I will pursue the dream of becoming an archeologist when I have the proper funding.
Consequently, when my focus shifted, I started wanting to become a teacher. To teach my true love for history. Now, I am pursuing my second dream of becoming a history teacher, all due to the Little House on the Prairie. I will major in Japanese, to make myself more marketable, and minor in American History. I am also thinking about getting a second and a third minor, if I find the time. Those other two minors would be in World History and/or Italian. Thanks to Laura Ingalls Wilder and Little House on the Prairie, I have found my true passion and am pursuing it with all of my might.