Companion volume to Marmee and Louisa includes newly discovered private writings

As mentioned in a previous post, a new dual biography on Louisa and her mother is coming out in November called Marmee & Louisa: The Untold Story of Louisa May Alcott and Her Mother by Eve LaPlante. LaPlante's website indicates that previously undiscovered private papers were found which form the basis of her book. These …

New book on Louisa and Abba

Yet another new book is coming out about Louisa and this time it pairs her off with her mother. Marmee & Louisa: The Untold Story of Louisa May Alcott and Her Mother by Eve LaPlante is due out November 6, 2012 according to Amazon.com. LaPlante reveals how Abigail May Alcott (Marmee) was the true force …

Enter the head of a Pulizter-prize winning author for 1 minute

A brief and fascinating look into the head of John Matteson, winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Eden’s Outcasts: The Story of Louisa May Alcott and Her Father (2007) as he answers a question about his way of writing and researching (I think he's quite cute too - you'll see why at the end. :-)) Are …

Hear and see John Matteson discuss Eden’s Outcasts

Here is a video of John Matteson discussing his Pultizer prize-winning biography, Eden’s Outcasts: The Story of Louisa May Alcott and Her Father. It appears to have been done at the School of Philosophy at Louisa May Alcott's Orchard House. Update Watching the video while working - Matteson is charming! He says he was told …

Finding an ally and a lifelong partner: Bronson Alcott, part 4 (reflections on Eden’s Outcasts)

Part 4 of a series on Bronson Alcott: his rise, fall and redemption, based on reflections from John Matteson’s biography Eden’s Outcasts: The Story of Louisa May Alcott and Her Father If you want to refresh your memory on previous posts in this series, here are the links: Read Part One here Read Part Two here …

Birth of a visionary educator: Bronson Alcott, part 3 (reflections on Eden’s Outcasts)

Part 3 of a series on Bronson Alcott: his rise, fall and redemption, based on reflections from John Matteson's biography Eden’s Outcasts: The Story of Louisa May Alcott and Her Father If you want to refresh your memory on previous posts in this series, here are the links: Read Part One here Read Part Two here …

Finding his mission: Bronson Alcott, part 2 (reflections on Eden’s Outcasts)

How did a remote and poor farm boy evolve into a visionary educator? This is one of the great questions regarding Bronson Alcott for which I wanted answers.  John Matteson in Eden’s Outcasts: The Story of Louisa May Alcott and Her Father provides some interesting insight. In the beginning In the first chapter Matteson traces  …

The rise, fall and redemption of Bronson Alcott, part 1 (reflections on Eden’s Outcasts)

Eden’s Outcasts: The Story of Louisa May Alcott and Her Father by John Matteson has to be one of the most elegant and thoughtful books I have ever read. Matteson is the first Alcott biographer who truly seems to understand the spiritual life and that insight produces a deeper and different view of Bronson Alcott. …

More from Alcott scholar Roberta Trites: Alcott and the emergence of the adolescent reform novel

As mentioned in yesterday's post, Alcott scholar Roberta Trites wrote a book published by the University of Iowa Press in 2007 called Twain, Alcott, and the Birth of the Adolescent Reform Novel. I have one more short interview with Trites, conducted by WGLT host Charlie Schlenker where she talks about the beginnings of what she …

Listen to an interview with Roberta Trites regarding Louisa’s “blood and thunder” tales

Recently the Milner Library at Illinois State University hosted a series of programs as part of the ALA's "Louisa May Alcott The Woman Behind Little Women"; they were one of many libraries around the country that received grant money from the NEH and the ALA. The series is based upon the best-selling biography of the …