Louisa May Alcott November 29, 1832 - March 6, 1888) was an American novelist and poet best known as the author of the novel Little Women (1868) and its sequels Little Men (1871) and Jo's Boys (1886). Raised by her transcendentalist parents, Abigail May and Amos Bronson Alcott in New England, she grew up among many of the well-known intellectuals of the day such as Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Henry David Thoreau.The reader is introduced to several young women who discover great satisfaction when they do what each can do and still have a renewed desire to be of more assistance while also witnessing the more somber parts of life. In "Pansies" Mrs. Warburton assures others that "hearts don't break if they know where to go for strength." Ruth asks in "Water-lilies" if she can be forgiven her modesty, courage, and faithfulness.