Louisa May Alcott (1832-1888) was one of the most fascinating people of the 19th century. She is mostly known for her book Little Women, but did you know that ...

Some of her early teachers were Henry David Thoreau, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Nathaniel Hawthorne, she was an ardent abolitionist and early feminist, served as a nurse during the Civil War, wrote over 200 works, including poetry, stories about race relations and interracial marriage, and "pulp fiction," was not a "little woman" but was nearly 6 feet tall and the Alcott home functioned as an Underground Railroad stop for fugitives ... Pretty interesting!

Come and explore the life of Louisa May Alcott through the King Library's series of events and other resources about this remarkable American.

Tuesday, Oct. 4: Panel Presentation with Karen English on Louisa May Alcott's Hospital Sketches & Civil War Nursing.  3:30-5:30 p.m. at King Library, 2nd Floor, Rooms 255/257

Sunday, Oct. 23: A Tea with Louisa featuring Valerie Weich.  2-4 p.m. San Jose Woman's Club.

Upcoming November Events at select Branch Libraries  ...

• "Making Paper Dolls and Paper Boats Craft"  - Date TBA
• "Louisa May Alcott: The Woman Behind Little Women Film Screening" - Date TBA 

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.

For more information visit http://libguides.sjsu.edu/alcott

Recreational drug experimentation, cross-dressing and mind control are not topics we associate with Louisa May Alcott. Before becoming famous as the writer of Little Women and other children's books, Ms. Alcott earned her living writing fiction (using pseudonyms) f ) )       f               or popular adult magazines. Five of these stories are collected in the anthology Modern Magic. Other collections include: Behind a Mask: the unknown thrillers of Louisa May Alcott , Alternative Alcott, and From Jo March's attic : stories of intrigue and suspense.

See here for information about Louisa May Alcott library programs and events

(clip below from the American Masters documentary: Louisa May Alcott: The Woman behind Little Women.)

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