alcott, abba may

A tale inspired by the life of Louisa May Alcott's youngest sister finds young May longing to study art outside of the confines of her Concord home before turning down a marriage proposal and pursuing an identity in contrast to the spoiled and worldly character of Amy in her sister's famed novel.

The real "Marmee" from Louisa May Alcott's book, Little Women, is her mother. Using the Alcotts' intimate diaries and other private family papers recently discovered in a family attic shows that Abigail May Alcott was a gifted writer and thinker and she fought for universal civil rights, an end to slavery, and women's suffrage.