Louisa May Alcott

AUTHOR and WOMEN'S RIGHTS activist
Though the Marches in her iconic work, Little Women, were loosely based on her own family, in reality the Alcotts were far less stable, moving often when her father's attempted business ventures failed
Started her literary career by publishing melodramatic short stories either anonymously or under pseudonyms
Served as a nurse during the Civil War, and published articles about her experience
Little Women and her subsequent children's fiction brought financial security to her and her family
Leveraged her fame to publicly support reform, such as abolition, temperance, and women's suffrage
Led a campaign to educate women voters in her town of Concord when officials allowed them to vote in a local school election
FIRST woman in her town to register to vote
Wrote several articles in Woman's Journal, a women's rights magazine

Bibliography: Homestead, Melissa J. "Alcott, Louisa May." The Oxford Encyclopedia of Women in World History, Vol. 1, Oxford University Press, 2008, 96.

Support these organizations dedicated to preserving her story:

Louisa May Alcott's Orchard House
Louisa May Alcott Society

Books by this Awesome Woman

Biographies for Kids and Young Adults

(picture book)

Research

Spread the word!

(necklace charms)

(wine glass charms)

Meet more Awesome Women like this

Please note that while Awesome Women Library tries to include links only to media from reputable sources, we cannot attest to the quality or content of any media listed on this website. Our mission is to introduce you to these Awesome Women and give you a wide array of resources for learning more. We haven't read everything listed and are not a recommendation site, nor is this meant to be an exhaustive catalog of every book related to this woman -- there's just too much out there! Happy reading!!