Earlier in the year I posted about an Anthology coming out on the 150th Anniversary of the publication of Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. I have a short essay in this anthology, called “Finding the Palace Beautiful.” In the essay, I contrast Beth March the introvert, with Jo March the extrovert, and I discuss their complementary temperaments in the framework of Susan Cain’s recent book, Quiet.
The publisher, Pink Umbrella Books, recently contacted me to explain that there will be a celebration at Orchard House, Louisa’s home itself, on September 30 2018, and a blog tour. For the blog tour, I will need to send them a picture of myself reading Little Women next to a local landmark.
Fortunately I have the right book to be reading: pictured above lying on the bed next to our kitty, it is the edition I first read myself 40 years ago, and the same copy I later read to my daughter. It’s a little beat up, but still a detailed, worthy-looking volume with a history. I’m not sure what landmark to choose, though, here in Silicon Valley.
I used to live in the Boston area and if I still did, I would be back to Orchard House for the celebration in a jiffy! My daughter toured it with her Girl Scout Troop years ago, and then our family did again with our Unitarian-Universalist church. The Alcotts were well-known Unitarians and a trip to Orchard House, along with trips to Walden Pond, the House of Seven Gables, and Mount Auburn Cemetery, was part of the coming-of-age education at our church there.
Either way, it’s fun to think about. I also reached out to the Mountain View Public Library about hosting another event and reading, which may happen later in the year.
The book is called Alcott’s Imaginary Heroes. Look for it in September 2018! Now available for pre-order from Amazon and Barnes and Noble.
A Thousand Finds 
Hi Karen – well done on getting your article into the anthology – and it sounds a very interesting essay. While Winchester House sounds an amazing place … good luck with choices, living to 132 and practising viola for 10,000 hours!! Cheers Hilary
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That’s very exciting, Karen! I’ll have to look for it! Congratulations!
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On its Amazon page the book has hit #1 new release in “children’s literary criticism.” Way to find a niche 😉
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It seems that you would have a lot of landmark choices in the Bay Area… the Golden Gate Bridge certainly being one of them. Maybe the Winchester House is a little closer to you. Anyway, have fun with it! Btw, have you ever read March? It’s an interesting fictionalized account of Alcott’s father’s experiences when he went off to war. I really enjoyed the different perspective.
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Hmm, the Winchester House *is* closer, and I’ve never actually done the tour. That’s an interesting idea! I was trying to think of something more Louisa-related than the Golden Gate bridge. I was also thinking of one of the Google statues, or the Ada Lovelace exhibit in the Computer Museum, to go with the feminist Victorian woman theme! I just need a gown 😉
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And I got as far as putting March on my to-read list. But that list is so long I will have to live to be at least 132 to finish it (and that will be right around when I hit 10,000 hours of viola practice).
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