Women, War, and Nursing: Louisa May Alcott’s "Hospital Sketches" (1863) is a panel discussion of the creation, publication, and significance of Alcott’s book based on her experiences as a nurse for the Union Army at a hospital in Washington, DC. Participants include Dr. Libra Hilde from the SJSU History Department who will discuss nursing during the Civil War and Dr. Karen English from the SJSU Department of English and Comparative Literature who will comment on the significance of the book.

Dr. Libra Hilde is a historian of 19th century America and the Civil War in particular.  She has a forthcoming book entitled Worth a Dozen Men: Women and Nursing in the Civil War South. Dr. Karen English has taught courses in American Literature and American Studies at SJSU since 1989.  She is the editor of Notes of Conversations, 1848-1875, a collection of transcripts of conversations held by Amos Bronson Alcott. Louisa May Alcott programs in libraries are sponsored by the American Library Association Public Programs Office with the support of the National Endowment for the Humanities.