Louisa May: The World and Works of Louisa May Alcott

As most fans of "Little Women" know, author Louisa May Alcott based the story on the lives of herself and her three sisters, Anna (the sweet mothering one), Elizabeth (the musical one), and May (the artist). "Louisa May" is a wonderful way to discover how Louisa turned a sometimes very difficult childhood into something magical that has stood the test of time. Photographs of Louisa, her family and their many homes were especially interesting to see. I couldn't help looking at those without thinking, "Ah, so that's what Meg, Beth and Amy looked like." Louisa May Alcott was born in 1832 to a freethinking teacher, Bronson Alcott, and a Boston blueblood, Abigail May Alcott. Although Abigail (known as Abba) came from a wealthy family, she received little inheritance, and her family soon grew tired of bailing out Bronson from his financial problems. For much of Louisa's early childhood, the family lived in abject poverty. Both parents worked in the abolition movement and in other attempts at social reform. Their friends included many famous transcendentalist thinkers of the day, such as Emerson and Thoreau. Johnston briefly describes transcendentalism, but not in enough detail that the reader will wind up with a lasting understanding of this nature-based philosophy. Sections of this biography dealing with Bronson's unconventional teaching ideas and techniques and his struggles to maintain a teaching post were perhaps the most fascinating. The most recent film adaptation of "Little Women" alludes to some of these problems when one of Meg's society friends comments that her father's school had to close because he admitted a black girl as a student. "Louisa May" provides a few further details on this incident, which actually occurred, noting that the child may have been the daughter of free blacks who knew the Alcotts through the abolition work. Bronson also found himself out of a teaching job for focusing on philosophy rather than the three Rs, including sex education in his curriculum, and preaching his own religious beliefs to his students.While Bronson's educational approach cost him jobs in America, a book published by his assistant made him famous in England. Following a visit to that country, he returned to Massachusetts with several like-minded hangers-on and decided to found a utopian farm. Charles Lane, his chief ally in this effort, encouraged Bronson to a life of abstinence. Lane's monk-like approach to life included rigid lessons for the Alcott girls, meals consisting mostly of bread, potatoes, and water eaten without plates (the Alcotts already were vegetarians), and ultimately an attempt to separate Bronson from his family. Johnston's description of how Abba managed to turn things around for the family is inspiring and contradicts stereotypes that many have about 19th century women's submissiveness to their husbands. Reading "Louisa May" left me longing for more information about Bronson and Abba Alcott, and their unconve

I wasn't looking forward to starting this novel-sized biography to gather information for my research paper, but once I began it, it was hard to put it down! It shows how truly interesting and amazing and difficult Louisa May Alcott's life was. It's longer than most of the other Louisa bios I have seen, and it contains a wealth of information and details while remaining easy to read. It also includes background information on the May and Alcott families, as well as pictures sprinkled throughout the book. I highly recommend it for research or pleasure reading!