"I am not afraid of storms, for I am learning how to sail my ship."— Louisa May Alcott, Little Women
Louisa May Alcott
The writer of Little Women
Louisa May Alcott grew up in Concord, Massachusetts, with three sisters and one of the most famous and most broke fathers in America. Bronson Alcott was a philosopher and educator with big ideas about teaching and society. He started experimental schools and even tried to start a vegetarian commune. None of it made any money.
Louisa was the second of four girls. She and her sisters, Anna, Lizzie, and May, grew up poor but surrounded by the most famous writers in America. Ralph Waldo Emerson lent them books. Henry David Thoreau took them on nature walks. The Alcott girls wrote plays and acted them out in their attic.
Quick Facts
- Born: November 29, 1832
- From: Concord, Massachusetts, USA
- Job: Novelist, Civil War nurse, teacher
- Famous for: Little Women, Little Men, Jo's Boys
Louisa once wrote that she preferred her dark, wild thriller stories to Little Women. She published the thrillers under fake names like A.M. Barnard because they weren't 'respectable' for a young lady to write.
Her Famous Stories
Read Alcott's stories on Worldly
Alcott wrote some of the warmest, most loved family stories ever published. On Worldly, every page is adapted to your reading level.
1868Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy March grow up together during and after the Civil War, with their loving mother, their kind neighbor Laurie, and many small adventures.
1871All grown up, Jo and her husband run Plumfield, a school for orphan boys. Adventures, mischief, and a lot of growing up.
1886The boys from Plumfield are all grown up now, off in the world. Jo follows their adventures and helps them find their way.
Her Life, Year by Year
Working hard, writing harder
Louisa Alcott's life was a juggling act of jobs, family, and writing whenever she could squeeze it in.
Born in Pennsylvania
Louisa May Alcott is born in Germantown, Pennsylvania. Soon after, her family moves to Concord, Massachusetts, where she'll grow up.
Fruitlands
Louisa's father moves the family to a utopian vegetarian commune called Fruitlands. It fails in six months. The family nearly starves. Louisa is 10.
She publishes her first piece
At 19, Louisa publishes a poem in a Boston magazine. She'll keep publishing magazine pieces under fake names for years to make money for the family.
Civil War nurse
During the U.S. Civil War, Louisa volunteers as a nurse at a Union Army hospital in Washington. She catches typhoid and almost dies, and the mercury they treat her with damages her health for life.
Hospital Sketches
Louisa publishes Hospital Sketches, based on her time as a nurse. It's her first real success.
Little Women
A publisher asks Louisa for a book "for girls." She's not enthusiastic but writes Little Women in just six weeks, drawing on her own family. It's a smash. She becomes financially safe for the first time in her life.
Little Men
Louisa publishes Little Men, a sequel that follows Jo (the Louisa character) and her husband as they run a school for boys.
She dies two days after her father
Bronson Alcott dies on March 4. Louisa dies two days later on March 6, age 55, of complications from her long-ago illness. She is buried in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery in Concord, near Emerson and Thoreau.
The Sisters of Little Women
The four March sisters, based on the four Alcott sisters
Each sister in Little Women is closely based on a real Alcott sister. Louisa wrote herself as Jo.
Meg
Based on Anna
Meg is the oldest and most traditional, dreaming of marriage and a family. Her real-life model was Anna Alcott, the oldest sister.
Jo
Based on Louisa herself
Jo is the tomboy writer who refuses to grow up the way grown-ups expect. Louisa put nearly all of herself into Jo, the messy hair, the temper, the love of writing, all of it.
Beth
Based on Lizzie
Beth is the quiet, music-loving sister who dies young. Lizzie Alcott really did die young, of scarlet fever, when Louisa was 25. Writing Beth's death broke Louisa's heart.
Amy
Based on May
Amy is the dramatic, artistic baby of the family. May Alcott actually did become a successful painter who studied in Paris.
Wait… really?!
Six surprising things about Louisa May Alcott
She wrote Little Women in six weeks
Louisa didn't want to write Little Women. A publisher asked for a 'girl's book' and she said yes for the money. Then she wrote the whole first part in just six weeks.
She wrote thrillers under fake names
Louisa loved writing dark, fast-paced thrillers about poisonings and revenge. She published them under fake names like A.M. Barnard because they weren't 'proper' books for a young lady.
She nursed soldiers in the Civil War
Louisa volunteered as a nurse during the U.S. Civil War. She caught typhoid fever and was treated with mercury, which damaged her health permanently.
Her family was very famous (but very broke)
Louisa's father Bronson was a famous philosopher who knew Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau personally. The family had brilliant friends but rarely enough money for food.
She walked everywhere fast
Louisa was known for being unusually athletic for a woman of her time. She walked miles every day at high speed. Her friends called her energy almost frightening.
She died two days after her father
Bronson Alcott died on March 4, 1888. Louisa died two days later on March 6. She had been by his bedside when he passed.
Good questions, answered
Louisa May Alcott FAQ
Is Little Women based on her real family?+
Yes! The four March sisters (Meg, Jo, Beth, Amy) are based on Louisa and her three real sisters (Anna, Louisa, Lizzie, May). Jo is Louisa herself. The events in the book are a mix of real and invented, but the heart is real.
Did Beth really die?+
Yes, sadly. Lizzie Alcott, the real-life model for Beth, died of scarlet fever in 1858 at age 22. Writing Beth's death scene was one of the hardest things Louisa ever did.
What age is Little Women good for?+
Little Women works as a read-aloud from age 7, and as a chapter book from age 9 or 10. The Worldly version is adapted to fit each reader's level.
Did she write anything besides Little Women?+
Yes! Louisa wrote dozens of books. Little Women has two sequels (Little Men and Jo's Boys), plus she wrote many other novels and stories under fake names.
Why did she write thrillers under fake names?+
Her thrillers were dramatic, dark stories about poisons and revenge. They weren't 'proper' for a respectable lady writer to publish. So she signed them as A.M. Barnard and other fake names to keep her real reputation as a children's writer separate.
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