Eden's Outcasts: The Story of Louisa May Alcott and Her Father

An evaluation of the complicated relationship between the classic author and her idealistic father considers how Louisa's exuberant personality often challenged Bronson's intricate child-rearing philosophies, describes his failed Fruitlands utopia, and considers how Louisa eventually came to support her family through writing. Reprint.
Evaluates the relationship between Louisa May Alcott and her idealistic father, discussing how Louisa's exuberant personality often challenged Bronson's child-rearing philosophies and how Louisa eventually came to support her family through writing.
"An amazing story (told] with clarity and intelligence ... colorful and insightful."--Martin Rubin, Los Angeles Times
Louisa May Alcott is known universally. Yet during Louisa's youth, the famous Alcott was her father, Bronson--an eminent teacher and a friend of Emerson and Thoreau. He desired perfection, for the world and from his family. Louisa challenged him with her mercurial moods and yearnings for money and fame. The other prize she deeply coveted--her father's understanding--seemed hardest to win. This story of Bronson and Louisa's tense yet loving relationship adds dimensions to Louisa's life, her work, and the relationships of fathers and daughters.