Louisa May Alcott

Louisa May Alcott (1832-1888) wrote Little Women at her publisher’s request, reluctantly and quickly, drawing on her own family of four sisters. It made her financially independent, which had been the point — she had been working since her teens to support her parents. Before it she had published sensational thrillers under a pseudonym, and she returned to serious social causes throughout her life, including abolition and women’s suffrage. The most quoted line on this page belongs to Amy, the sister readers most often underrate, and is usually reproduced without her contractions.