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The Untold Story of Louisa May Alcott and Her Mother
Free Press
November 2012
On Sale: November 6, 2012
386 pages
ISBN: 1451620667
EAN: 9781451620665
Kindle: B007EDYNFE
Hardcover / e-Book
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Paperback (November 2013)
Non-Fiction Biography
Louisa May Alcott was one of the most successful and bestselling authors of her day, earning more than any of her male contemporaries. Her classic Little Women has been a mainstay of American literature since its release nearly 150 years ago, as Jo March and her calm, beloved βMarmeeβ have shaped and inspired generations of young women. Biographers have consistently attributed Louisaβs uncommon success to her father, Bronson Alcott, assuming that this outspoken idealist was the source of his daughterβs progressive thinking and remarkable independence. But in this riveting dual biography, award-winning biographer Eve LaPlante explodes these myths, drawing from a trove of surprising new documents to show that it was Louisaβs actual βMarmee,β Abigail May Alcott, who formed the intellectual and emotional center of her world. Abigail, whose difficult life both inspired and served as a warning to her devoted daughters, pushed Louisa to excel at writing and to chase her unconventional dreams in a male-dominated world. In Marmee & Louisa, LaPlante, Abigailβs great-niece and Louisaβs cousin, re-creates their shared story from diaries, letters, and personal papers, some recently discovered in a family attic and many others that were thought to have been destroyed. Here at last Abigail is revealed in her full complexityβlong dismissed as a quiet, self-effacing background figure, she comes to life as a fascinating writer and thinker in her own right. A politically active feminist firebrand, she was a highly opinionated, passionate, ambitious woman who fought for universal civil rights, publicly advocating for abolition, womenβs suffrage, and other defin-ing moral struggles of her era. In this groundbreaking work, LaPlante paints an exquisitely moving and utterly convincing portrait of a woman decades ahead of her time, and the fiercely independent daughter whose life was deeply entwined with her motherβs dreams of freedom. This gorgeously written story of two extraordinary women is guaranteed to transform our view of one of Americaβs most beloved authors.
 Media BuzzFresh Air - NPR - December 13, 2012
Fresh Air - NPR - December 7, 2012
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