Louisa May Alcott

The Woman Behind Little Women

By: Harriet Reisen

Narrated by: Harriet Reisen

Louisa May Alcott portrays a writer as worthy of interest in her own right as her most famous character, Jo March, and addresses all aspects of Alcott's life: the effect of her father's self-indulgent utopian schemes; her family's chronic economic difficulties and frequent uprootings; her experience as a nurse in the Civil War; and the loss of her health and frequent recourse to opiates in search of relief from migraines, insomnia, and symptomatic pain.

Stories and details culled from Alcott's journals; her equally rich letters to family, friends, publishers, and admiring readers; and the correspondence, journals, and recollections of her family, friends, and famous contemporaries provide the basis for this lively account of the author's classic rags-to-riches tale. Alcott would become the equivalent of a multimillionaire in her lifetime based on the astounding sales of her books, leaving contemporaries like Nathaniel Hawthorne, Herman Melville, and Henry James in the dust. This biography explores Alcott's life in the context of her works, all of which are to some extent autobiographical. A fresh, modern take on this remarkable and prolific writer, who secretly authored pulp fiction, harbored radical abolitionist views, and completed heroic service as a Civil War nurse, Louisa May Alcott is also the story of how the all-time beloved American classic Little Women came to be. This revelatory portrait will present the popular author as she was and as she has never been seen before.

©2009 Harriet Reisen and Nancy Porter (P)2009 Tantor

Critic reviews

"A deliciously palatable biography of the iconic writer." ( Kirkus)

The best biography of Louisa May Alcott out there.

Harriet Reisen does a great job narrating her own book. A very intimate look at Louisa May Alcott from early childhood growing up with three sisters and parents who would became the fictional March family in her novel “Little Women.” Louisa’s family’s continual struggle with poverty is not glossed over by Harriet Reisen. The Alcotts economic problems did not end until Louisa’s successful writing career could pay the bills in her parents household. A very different story from that of the fictional March family portrayed in “Little Women.” A great read/listen.

Compelling Story

I knew nothing about Alcott's life before reading this book. I do remember as a child reading "Little Women" but do not remember much about it. What fascinating people she grew up knowing such men as Ralph Waldo Emerson, Hawthorne, Graham. She grew up in a time women had no rights and were very lucky to obtain any amount of education. Her Father's push to educate women was ahead of his time. Watching and helping her Mother try to support the family by sewing lead to her demand of herself to depend on no one to support her but herself and to do so by writing. It was only acceptable at that time for women to write children stories so she also wrote under a pseudonym for the pulp magazines. Her fight for women's right to vote and her push for an equal rights amendment was interesting. The women got the right to vote but we still do not have equal rights (Federal) still need three more state to reach the required 38.. You will enjoy this book.

The story spoke to me

I always knew I liked this lady. I felt from her books that she was sad and disappointed with her life. I am glad I know her story and will read all of her writing with this bio running around in my mind.

delighted to learn more about LMA, and from so many different perspectives via the journals of all who were near to her.

loved it loved it loved it. I wish more than ever now to be able to speak to her in person today

Louisa May Alcott

Discovered the woman behind one of her most famous book Little women and made me love her even more. She was a caring social activist "for reforms of all kinds"