Jo March is indisputably the protagonist of Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women, but she is not the heroine.
During a recent late-night chat, my roommate and I discussed what books would be in our personal “top 100.” My instant answer for the No. 1 spot was, as always, Little Women. I simply cannot recommend this book enough, and though no one would ever agree with me, I believe it should be in the running for Great American Novel. Every child, boy and girl, should read the first half of the story (before part two, Good Wives) around age ten, and then read the rest in high school. It is delightful in every sense of the word, and wonderfully patriotic to boot. It is also imperative that they read it before they ever see any movie adaptations — some of which are good, others middling — because, while the directors and actors succeeded mightily in some areas, all the attempts to put the story on film fall short.
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