Louisa May Alcott, one of the most well-known women writers of her time, was born on November 29, 1832, in Germantown, Pennsylvania. When she was eight years old, her family moved to Concord. As a young child, Louisa enjoyed acting out her own plays with her sister and playing with some of her family friends. As she became older, she felt responsible for providing the basic needs for her family since her father, a transcendentalist at the time, was incapable for providing for his family. Along with her older sister, Anna, Louisa taught little children, mended clothing, and did laundry for money.

Louisa May Alcott started on her writing journey when she published her first poem "Sunlight" using the pseudonym Flora Fairfields. After that, she published many different works of literature, such as her first short story, "The Rival Painters", and her first novel, Flower Fables. A year after Flower Fables was published, her little sister, Lizzie, died of scarlet fever, and sister Anna was married. During that time, Louisa moved back in with her mother to keep her company. However, in 1862, she went to Washington, D.C. to serve as a nurse during the Civil War. Like many other nurses in the war, Louisa May Alcott developed typhoid fever. Fortunately, she recovered, and wrote books telling of her war experiences.

When Louisa was settled at home again, her publisher told her that he wanted to see more of "a girl's story" from her. As a result, she wrote Little Women, based on her own life experiences. After Little Women proved to be such a success, she wrote another volume called Good Wives. Louisa May Alcott also helped with the women's suffrage movement by writing for "The Woman's Journal". In addition to writing, Alcott became the first woman from Concord to register to vote in a school committee election. Louisa's mercury poisoning, obtained as a child, took its toll on her life during her later years; she began to slow down in her writing. In 1886, she published her last book, Jo's Boys. Louisa May Alcott died on March 6, 1888, in Boston, Massachusetts, two days after her father passed away. Today she is known as one of the most cherished authors in history.

"Far away there in the sunshine are my highest aspirations. I may not reach them, but I can look up and see their beauty, believe in them, and try to follow where they lead."

~Louisa May Alcott

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