Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Louisa May Alcott, a heroine

I am Louisa May Alcott. I was born on November 29th, 1832. I died on March 6, 1888. At first, I wasn’t famous, although I tried to write many books. My first book was Flower Fables, and it was originally written for my friend, the daughter of Ralph Waldo Emerson. My next novel was called Moods, and it was about a girl named Sylvia, an abolitionist who was modeled on me. I tend to write about myself a lot.

My best-selling book, Little Women, tells the story of me and my sisters growing up in the Orchard House in Concord. It was my book editor who suggested that I should write it, and that it should be about my experience growing up. To my surprise, the book was a great success. And with the money I made selling the book, I paid off the dept that my father owed to our neighbor, Ralph Waldo Emerson, when we purchased the Orchard House.

In Little Women, Jo’s father goes off to fight in the Civil war, but he didn’t in real life. Instead, it was me who became a northern hospital nurse. That was where I wrote my book, Hospital Sketches, which was based on my letters sent home. But even though it was nicely received, it was Little Woman that made me really famous. In time, my fame grew and grew until I became one of the most well-known authors for young girls.

Sunday, June 5, 2011