Vegan Spotlight: Louisa May Alcott, Author of "Little Women"

Louisa May Alcott was an American author best known for the highly-acclaimed and timeless classic novel, ‘Little Women.’ She was born in Germantown, Pennsylvania on November 29, 1832. After working in several different menial jobs, she discovered her talent for writing, releasing the still successful and popular autobiographical story. 

Meager Beginnings:

Much like the characters from Little Women, which is based on Alcott’s own childhood and coming of age experience. She too came from a New England family without much as far as means go. Alcott, however, was always able to have a positive and hopeful outlook no matter the trials and tribulations she may have faced.

Vegan Trendsetter:

Although the majority of writings refer to Louisa May’s father Bronson Alcott as a transcendentalist, he was also a social activist prior to it being trendy. After studying writings by Pythagoras, he adopted a meat-free diet for his family becoming one of the first to openly embrace their veganism by completely shunning meat. Bronson Alcott even placed meat production on the same platform as slavery. Louisa has since been regarded as one of the most respected vegans in history.

Although she did do a European tour and made a few innocuous visits to New York, Louisa spent the majority of the last two decades of her life in Boston, Massachusetts, caring for first, her long-suffering mother, and then her father. Louisa May did not have any biological children of her own but adopted her namesake niece after the death of her sister in 1879. After dealing with ill health for most of her life, largely in part to contracting Typhoid while working as a nurse after the Civil War, the famous author passed away just two days after the death of her beloved father on March 6, 1888.

Image/Video Credit: Sony Pictures Entertainment/Youtube