A delightful and intriguing look at the life of Louisa May Alcott makes clear her headstrong nature shone from early childhood. Louisa's mother, Abby, understood her willful, adventurous daughter. Still, both she and, especially, Louisa's father, Bronson, admonished and encouraged Louisa to be "good." Bronson, an educator, strove to shape his children morally and had a hard time when Louisa was young equating her forthright spirit with his understanding of a moral life. For all that her father scolded, however, both Louisa's parents clearly adored her. Their home was loving, but circumstances often challenging. Bronson's idealism led him from one job and plan to the next. There was little money, a lot of debt and moving, and a great deal of work, especially for Abby, and this did not go unnoticed by Louisa. At Fruitlands, the utopian community the family helped establish that was anything but ideal, the dissonance between idealism and reality was particularly apparent. As an adult, Louisa worked at her writing career both to follow her dreams and to support her family, earning money as a writer of what we would now call pulp stories, under a pseudonym. Ending with the publication of Little Women, this insightful offering underscores how Louisa May Alcott found her own way both in spite and because of her family. A comprehensive bibliography and notes are included. (Ages 11-14)