Louisa May

Children's Literature - Gisela Jernigan

One reason that Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy have come to life for readers of Little Women and it's sequels, may be related to the fact that Louisa May Alcott used her own family, both their personalities and many aspects of their financial situation, as an inspiration for her first "girl's book." The author of this biography, herself a very successful author of young adult family novels, does a thorough and fascinating job describing Louisa's relationship to her family and their precarious economic situation, due to her eccentric father's total impracticality and radical idealism. This strongly motivated Louisa to try to provide the necessities of life to her sisters and long-suffering mother by writing and selling first adult thrillers and later her more realistic children's novels. The many quotes taken from family diaries and letters help make the Alcotts and the time seem very real. Old photographs, a bibliography, index and an introduction are included. This well-written biography should appeal to adolescents and adults who are Louisa May Alcott fans. Many of the issues that were important to Louisa and her family, such as women's rights and poverty, are still pressing concerns today. Reading this book made me eager to re-read some of her children's books and to try some of her adult stories. 1995 (orig.