Louisa May Alcott

by Amy Ruth Allen

Lerner Publications and the A&E Television Networks have teamed up to create Biography for young readers. With highly accessible text and engaging photographs, this engrossing collection offers in-depth profiles of some of the world's most interesting figures.

Genres: Biography

128 pages, Library Binding

First published September 1, 1998

About the author

Amy Ruth Allen writes uplifting, wholesome women's fiction set in small towns and featuring a parade of quirky and lovable characters. The heartwarming Finch's Crossing series evokes the special joys of the seasons as the four Hamilton sisters search for love, personal fulfillment, and a renewed connection to the place they call home.

Reviews

[Natalie Votipka]

What a crazy childhood! It almost reads like a work of dystopian fiction mocking out-there philosophies taken to their logical conclusions. But it was the Alcotts’ real life for decades of evictions and near-constant poverty: Louisa's father the philosopher didn't believe in working for a wage ... but he didn't mind that that meant his wife and daughters had to instead. He let a crazy British dude (Charles Lane) tyrannize his family in an experimental communal living arrangement that involved a raw, all-vegan diet and the men leading philosophy discussions while the wife and kids tended the fields (only to have Lane bail to join the Shakers because they ... shocker ... ran out of food come wintertime). I'll give Bronson Alcott credit for finally defying Lane by refusing to abandon his family to join the Shakers (but that was on the table for a while there).

I enjoyed reading about the rest of Louisa's life too. It was a short kid-level biography that gave a solid overview.

[Lmichelleb · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a great basic biography to read after I enjoyed Little Women recently. I love knowing about an author's life! Now I realize so much of Little Women was from Louisa's own life.

[Tina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked learning more about her and what inspired her to write one of my favorite books.

[Stacie Stein · Rating 4 out of 5]

A brief and interesting account of Louisa's life, focusing on her writing, family and monumental experiences. She led a very interesting life, intersected by other authors and major events of the late 1800s.