Four lifelong fans of Little Women come together here to offer a deep, funny, far-ranging meditation on the power of great literature to shape and enrich our lives. Each takes as her subject one of the four March sisters: Kate Bolick finds parallels between Meg’s brush with glamour at the Moffats’ ball and her own complicated relationship with clothes. Jenny Zhang confesses to liking Jo least among the sisters when she first read the novel as a girl, not wanting to see so much of herself in a character she feared was too unfeminine. Carmen Maria Machado writes about the real-life tragedy of Lizzie Alcott, the inspiration for Beth, and the horror story that comes from not being the author of your own life narrative. And Jane Smiley rehabilitates the reputation of youngest sister Amy, whom she sees as a modern feminist role model for those of us who aren’t as fierce and fiery as Jo.

Kate Bolick is the author of Spinster: Making a Life of One’s Own, a New York Times Best Seller and a New York Times Notable Book.

Jenny Zhang is the author of the story collection Sour Heart and the poetry collection Dear Jenny, We Are All Find.

Carmen Maria Machado is the author of Her Body and Other Parties, a finalist for the National Book Award, and the forthcoming memoir In the Dream House.

Jane Smiley is the author of many novels, works of nonfiction, and books for young adults, including A Thousand Acres and The Last Hundred Years trilogy.

This special publication features full-cloth case, Smyth-sewn binding, acid-free paper, and a unique design with specifications differing from those of Library of America series titles.