When I was a girl, I read Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. The beauty of this book is that the reader can see pieces of herself in every March sister, and I was no exception. Mostly, I sought flattering comparisons: Amy’s creativity, Beth’s selflessness, Meg’s nurturing spirit, Jo’s ambition. But I carry no shortage of ineptitudes, particularly with Jo’s rashness. All too often I found myself biting my tongue, and like Jo, ending up receiving a good scolding from my own Marmee. Despite these imperfections, Jo became a kindred spirit of mine. Her ambition and love of writing awoke something in me. I, too, became a writer after reading this book. I begged my mom to purchase journals for me, and if I was good and did my chores and went to Sunday school, she would laminate and bind the pages together. I developed my own series of stories, each volume detailing coming-of-age experiences, like fighting with siblings, or a good friend moving across the country. The experiences in those stories were my experiences, and through this fictional world I was able to better understand my own; in this way, I sought to become Jo March.
Author Biography
Abigail Crane, Olathe School District
Abigail Crane is a high school language arts teacher in Olathe, Kansas, where she has been teaching for four years. Abigail earned a B.S. in Secondary English Education from the University of Kansas, and a M.S. in Curriculum Leadership from Emporia State University. She intends to pursue National Board Certification in 2018. Her favorite things are words, her cat, coffee, her husband, and her students. Not in that order. Follow her on Twitter: @abigail_crane, and visit her blog at www.abigailcrane.com. She may also be reached at adcrane@olatheschools.org.
