Louisa May Alcott

Louisa May Alcott was born in Pennsylvania in the early-1830s to transcendentalist parents Amos Bronson Alcott and Abigail May. She was best known for being the author of the 1868 novel Little Women and its sequels Little Men and Jo’s Boys. The majority of her schooling was carried out under the supervision of her father, who headed an ambitious educational establishment in Boston for a period of time, which she called The Temple of Culture and Science. It must have been an honor to grow up with many of the well-known intellectuals of her time, including Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Ralph Waldo Emerson, among others.

It’s probably safe to say that she didn’t have any time for relationships or children during her time as she put much focus and attention into her writing. She was also one of the credited co-founders of the Women’s Educational and Industrial Union located in Boston. She challenged prevailing social norms regarding gender by motivating young feal readers to take long walks and runs.