Sunday, June 2, 2019

Little Women Big Girl


I was wandering my local library and stumbled upon the book, Meg, Jo, Beth, Amy: The Story of Little Women and Why It Still Matters by Anne Boyd Rioux. You might not know this, but Little Women was and still is my favorite children’s book (forgive me Anne of Green Gables). My favorite memory from childhood is of me snuggled up on my grandparents’ couch near the Christmas tree all alone reading Little Women. We won’t get into the psychology of my favorite memory being of me alone, suffice as to say, I loved Little Women. I empathized with Jo wanting to be a writer, I was crushed when she turned down Laurie, I was horrified when he married Amy instead and of course I cried when Beth died. I became obsessed with Louisa May Alcott and read many of her other stories (hello Old Fashioned Girl and Eight Cousins to name a few) and her biography (or two). So even though I don’t read a lot of non-fiction these days, I had to pick up Ms. Boyd Rioux’s book. I’m only on the second chapter, but it is taking me back in time. I hope there is a book from your past (even if it is recent past) that makes you happy to revisit it. And if you love Little Women as much as me, maybe you should pick up Ms. Boyd Rioux’s book too and go down memory lane.