WaPo: “We watched 15 straight hours of ‘Little Women,’ and things got weird”
WaPo writers Caitlin Gibson and Monica Hesse watched a whole bunch of adaptations of “Little Women” over 15 hours and rated them. They started in…
Book Review: Eden’s Outcasts: The Story of Louisa May Alcott and Her Father by John Matteson
Eden’s Outcasts: The Story of Louisa May Alcott and Her Father by John Matteson published by Norton (2007). This book won the 2008 Pulitzer Prize and…
“Little Women” “This Movie Is Big” Says New York Times and Others
With the Civil War and Reconstruction Era film Little Women set to open on Christmas Day, the reviews are rolling in. Nearly all are quite…
Andrew Johnson Issues “Christmas Amnesty” Pardoning Former Confederates for Treason on Dec. 25, 1868
On December 25, 1868, Andrew Johnson issued his final amnesty proclamation pardoning former Confederates for treason against the United States. Although the vast majority of…
Five Historians’ Joint Critique of New York Times “1619” Series on Slavery
One of the most talked about popular history initiatives of 2019 was the “1619” series on the 400th Anniversary of the arrival of the “first…
“Why Little Women Endures” The Sesquicentennial of a Best Seller of the Reconstruction Era
The first volume of Little Women by Louisa May Alcott was published in 1868 and the second came out 150 years ago in 1869. The…
Mobituary-The Black Congressmen of Reconstruction: Death of Representation
Mobituaries are popular history podcasts from Mo Rocca. This one deals with the death of African American Congressional Representation at the end of Reconstruction. It…
Miss Louisa May Alcott Publishes a Novel for Girls: Press Reacts to “Little Women” 1868 & 1869
This is the Sesquicentennial of the publication of Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. This book may have been the most successful novel published during…
How German Refugee Thomas Nast Invented How Santa Claus Looks Today Back During the Civil War and Reconstruction
Thomas Nast did not invent the American Christmas, but the German immigrant did develop the iconic image of its central celebratory figure, Santa Claus. Nast’s…
Smithsonian: New “Little Women” Brings Aspects of Alcott’s Life to the Screen
Louisa May Alcott’s real life makes an appearance on the screen as it is incorporated into the new movie version of Little Women. The new…