Miss Alcott's E-mail: Yours for Reforms of All Kinds

by Kit Bakke

Shouldn't life be more than simply showing up? Is it enough to be part of a family, make another family, earn your living, and then exit stage left? Or should you engage and be engaged in a bit of purposeful shaking and shoving along the way? These are questions that Kit Bakke urgently needs answered. Tired of self-proclaimed gurus and self-help books, she turns to her childhood role model―Louisa May Alcott―for direction.
She sends an e-mail to Louisa, and is amazed when she receives a reply. Their correspondence becomes a dance of ideas and tales bridging the mid-1800s and the twenty-first century. But why Louisa? Her abolitionist zeal, her women's rights advocacy, her hospital work, her crazy commune days, her heartfelt desire to leave the world a better place, her humor and her energy all materialized in front of me, writes Bakke. Louisa was serious when she signed her letters, 'Yours for reforms of all kinds.' She made her life, she didn't just live it.

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Biography Memoir

255 pages, Hardcover

First published September 15, 2006

About the author

Kit Bakke spent the last half of the 20th century as a political radical (SDS and the Weather Underground), a pediatric oncology nurse, and an information technology consultant. In the 21st century, she became a published writer. Her MISS ALCOTT'S E-MAIL has led to further writing adventures, including being a founding member of Seattle7Writers (www.seattle7writers.org) and a chapter in HOTEL ANGELINE. Her next book, DANCING ON THE EDGE, is a story of travel, discovery and possibly magic. Young teens, if they are good readers, like it, and so do adults. Her latest book PROTEST ON TRIAL: THE SEATTLE 7 CONSPIRACY "chronicles a significant, real-life slice of history, but it reads more like a well-crafted novel and reminds us that dissent--now no less than then--is the essence of democracy."

Reviews

[Kristi · Rating 3 out of 5]

This imaginative correspondence between a twentieth century woman and 19th century author, Louisa May Alcott crosses the genres of historical fiction, biography, and personal memoir to highlight the parallels between Alcott's life as reformer and Bakke's own political activism in the 1960s and 70s. Arranged in topical chapters, the fictionalized correspondence is interspersed with historical essays on Alcott's life and how it connects or contrasts to Bakke's. As a reader, I would have preferred a short introductory essay that accomplished this, and then put more of the essay content into the letters. The essays rather had the effect of pulling me out of the correspondence, making the fictional letters feel more contrived than natural; it was harder to suspend belief that these women were actually corresponding across time. Also, the use of "email" in the title, gives it a modern feel -- but the letters exchanged seem to be a more traditional variety that Alcott could receive in the 19th century, and at one point Bakke includes a material object in her missive. The other-all experience of the book was, therefore, uneven. However, Bakke's research is through and detailed, even if the "take' on Alcott's life is shaped by her personal experiences. This book's greatest achievement is the touchstone of a historic life with a contemporary one, which measures the cultural distances across time in ways that reveal that while some things are very different, the past is relevant, close to the present, and an inspiration for continuing to push progress agendas.

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an amazing book! I confess I had few expectations, because the book was a freebie, a give-away at a "literary luncheon" at Whistler Cornucopia (www.whistlercornucopia.com) in November 2006. The luncheon was an "exploring food and wine pairings" thing, sponsored by a winery and a restaurant, so most of us (including Kit) had had several glasses by the time the Kit spoke about her book. I was too near the back of the room to be able to hear her very well, and I now regret that; had I heard her better, I wouldn't have waited six months to read the book!

Part biography, part memoir, this is a factual book written with a fictional conceit - an imaginary exchange of letters between two authors inhabiting different centuries. And it's fascinating. There are parallels between the two authors' lives - apart from both being writers, they were both social reformists and agitators for change in tumultuous times, and they were both nurses - and these commonalities support the friendly and collegial tone of the letters that go back and forth between the 19th and 21st centuries.

As Geraldine Brooks is quoted as saying on the back cover, this is a book brimming with meticulous research and unusual insights. I was never particularly a fan of Louisa May Alcott's (I didn't read Little Women until adulthood), but this book has piqued my interest in her adult-audience writings by giving me a larger view of the author and her life.

[LobsterQuadrille · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's hard to categorize this book into just one genre. Much of it explores Louisa May Alcott's life and her strong activism for social reforms, but the fictionalized correspondence between Alcott and Bakke could put it into the historical fiction category. But however you categorize it, Miss Alcott's E-mail does provide an engaging look at Louisa May Alcott. I learned a good deal about her from reading it, and even though I wasn't a fan of Alcott's Little Women, I have finished this book with a new admiration for her as a person and a social justice activist.

But for me, the nonfiction parts of the book tended to go on a bit much about the author's anti-war activism in the 1960s and 70s. Of course, parallels are being drawn between the two writers in this and many other ways, but I was more interested in reading about Miss Alcott. Still, it was an educational read for me, and clearly it was well-researched too. It's not the type of book I'd re-read, but Kit Bakke did a good job of giving Miss Alcott an individual voice in her correspondence, and fans of Alcott's work will no doubt find it worthwhile.

[Toni · Rating 3 out of 5]

What an interesting premise for this mixture of pure novel and serious biography. I loved the letters (emails!) exchanged between Kit and Louisa. It felt like Bakke really inhabited her voice and managed to bring her very much to life. She obviously did an enormous amount of research and provided considerable background on Miss Alcott, as well as her family and famous neighbors (Emerson, Thoreau, Hawthorne).

I loved the historical aspect of the novel. My quibble with it would probably be where the author's own political activism became too much the vehicle for the Alcott story.

[Kerri · Rating 3 out of 5]

A unique take on a traditional biography. I would suggest it to any LMA fan, although be warned that as much fact as there is included, much of it is also the author's take on Louisa and her life. However, if you are interested in the life beyond Little Women, this does a great job of covering everything from her other more romantic and mysterious stories to her work as a nurss, women's rights advocate, and so much more.

[Carolyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book! The conceit of the book was that the author (who had been a member of the radical Weather Underground in her youth) was carrying on an e-mail correspondence with Louisa May Alcott. Interspersed with the letters revisiting their youthful activism was an insightful biography of Alcott. I don't want to make it sound preachy, which it absolutely wasn't, but it really made me think about my values and the meaning of life.

[Deb · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author really understands what LMA was all about. It was hard to get into, but if you can accept the silly premise, there's some interesting stuff.

[Connie Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm such a fan of Louisa May Alcott that I couldn't resist this book. It's a fun read if you're really interested in Alcott. I enjoyed the premise of the book, that a contemporary writer could send an e-mail to Alcott and strike up a correspondence. Bakke draws a compelling portrait of Alcott. Enjoyed it.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little cutesy with the concept of the author successfully exchanging emails with Louisa May Alcott, comparing her life and times with the author’s days in the Weather Underground of the 1960’s and 1970’s. I did learn much about Alcott’s life, activism, and writing.

[Nancy Kelley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hey Kit Bakke, people are still reading your first book and loving it. I agree with everything you love about LAM and everything you think about the important things in life. Very heartening in this strange, quiet time. Thank you!

[Rebecca Wilkins · Rating 3 out of 5]

I saw this book in a catalog from the publisher. The title intrigued me. It is a farce to think that in 2006 the author could email a famous author who had been dead 128 years but it made for an interesting read. I read LITTLE WOMEN, LITTLE MEN and JO'S BOYS (I have a first edition of that one from the basement of my grandmother!) in my adolescence. I have 3 sisters and so could identify with a family of 4 daughters. Of course it was the Lennon Sisters at that time we were most identifying with since it was the mid 60's. But truth to tell I haven't thought much about Louisa or LITTLE WOMEN in all that time. I also read Thoreau and fell into a girlish crush on him (sounds like Louisa did too). But I have had no desire to reread any of those books. I tried WALDEN but just didn't have the fervor anymore. I was surprised to read that Louisa got very rich on LITTLE WOMEN. I knew she supported her family on the proceeds but I thought she had to, not that she wanted to, as this book brings out. I also didn't realize how popular she is internationally and in the present century. LITTLE WOMEN was #8 on the PBS Great American Read last year.

The author Bakke compares her experiences as a rabble rouser and commune liver in the 1960's to Louisa's abolitionist and suffragette activities in her lifetime. I knew that Louisa's father Bronson was to my thinking a bit of a loser and never supported the family and promoted Utopian communities. Although much of LITTLE WOMEN is based on Louisa's family, Mr. March is not like Bronson at all. I went to Concord, Massachusetts specifically to visit Walden Pond. It never occurred to me that Orchard House was there as well. As coincidences go this past week PBS did present a half hour show on Orchard House (where the Alcott's lived for a time and where LITTLE WOMEN was written) so I see that I did miss out visiting there.

Bakke really seems to identify with Louisa and seeks her out via email to find out how to be useful in her coming years. She says of Louisa:

"Louisa's abolitionist zeal, her women's rights advocacy, her hospital work, her crazy commune days, her exceedingly eccentric father, her heartfelt desire to leave the world a better place, her industrious work habits, her humor, and her energy all materialized into full battle regalia in my living room. Louisa made her life, she didn't just live it. She wore her heart, as well as her brain, on her sleeve--always open, unprotected and brave."

A book review in The New Yorker in 2018 by Joan Acocella on THE STORY OF LITTLE WOMEN AND WHY IT STILL MATTERS by Anne Boyd Rioux says of LITTLE WOMEN: "But no piece of literature is the counterpart of LITTLE WOMEN. The book is not so much a novel, in the Henry James sense of the term, as a sort of wad of themes and scenes and cultural wishes. It is more like the Mahabharata or the Old Testament than it is like a novel. And that makes it an extraordinary novel." Some would find that pretty high praise and some a sacrilege! Probably Rioux book is more academic than Bakke but Bakke is certainly honoring a beloved author.

Wise Louisa says: "One can shape life best by trying to build up a strong and noble character through good books, wise people's society, an interest in all reforms that help the world and a cheerful acceptance of whatever is inevitable."

I'm still working on the cheerful acceptance of whatever is inevitable.

[Gwen]

From Carolyn See's review in The Washington Post 9/8/06:

Because of these causes and strivings and yearnings for independence, [Kit Bakke:] sees genuine parallels between her life and [Bronson Alcott:]'s -- although she keeps herself mostly, modestly, in the background. Bakke, too, lived on a commune. She, too, was a political activist, who got worn down by circumstance: "My revolutionary days in the passionate and violent Weather Underground were like the ruins of Pompeii, the sharp edges slowly silted over by the ash of graduate school, marriage, kids in college, professional career, husband with ditto, vacations, gardening, dinners in nice restaurants."
She had morphed, if you will, from fiery [Jo:] to conscientious Meg, and so turns back to the source, [Louisa:] herself, to question all these values, everything from violent political confrontation to domestic obligation. The author divides each of her chapters into three parts: an essay about the period in question, an e-mail from her to Louisa, and then Louisa's reply. Although Bakke sends her own e-mails in presumably "real" time, the messages get to Alcott during the last six months of her life. She responds, then, as a pretty sick lady, bored to death and greatly in need of being cheered up. Bakke's "voice" is divided three ways, into the brisk prose of the essays and then the writings of two very different women, slowly getting to know each other over the divide of a century.

[Nancy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is an interesting cross breed of fiction and non-fiction. The author, Kit Bakke, imagines a world in which she is able to correspond with Louisa May Alcott by sending her emails, which are somehow "magically" converted (without ever explaining how) into letters on Miss Alcott's end. The book is written in the format of the letters and emails sent back and forth, with each author explaining how life is / was lived on her respective end of time. The book is non-fiction in that it shines a light on Miss Alcott's personal life and history, and also delves into the author, Kit Bakke's personal, activist autobiography. As a whole, I felt the book fell flat. The lack of explanation provided for the 'magical communication' between the two authors didn't seem so 'magical' to me and seemed to be more of a looming, gaping plot hole big enough to drive a mack truck through.

[Karen Floyd · Rating 4 out of 5]

In spite of the rather hokey premise of the author and Louisa May Alcott corresponding across time and technology, I thought this was a well done look at Alcott. The correspondence is accompanied by the author's essays on Alcott's life and the social issues Alcott championed and was involved with - abolition, the rights of freedmen, education and hospital reform, poverty, and above all women's rights. Bakke compares them with her own reform movement adventures with the SDS and the Weathermen in the 1960's and early '70's, which I found fascinating reading. (I knew about the protest movements, but was a bit too young for involvement.) The focus on what Alcott did and believed in prevented this from becoming another unremittingly gloomy and depressing view of her life. She was and is an inspiration.

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked this book off the library shelf so many times before I finally took it home and read it. I loved it! I loved it so much that I emailed the author and told her so. And she emailed me right back! You might think the premise wouldn't work, but it totally does. I learned things about both the Weather underground movement of the 60s and the Transcendentalists that I never knew before. Highly recommended.

[doleary · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed it. Well, I did have to make myself finish it as I had some books that looked like more fun waiting in the wings. Interesting premise and a great way to learn about history. Interesting the way the author expressed her experiences in contrast with Louisa's to provide more perspective. Some of my book club were put off by it. Some folks are too literal. I know little about the transcendentalists but this made me curious to learn more.

[Firefly_1824]

I really enjoyed reading the essay's about Alcott's life, but greatly disliked the "correspondence" between the author and Alcott. It seemed to be all about the author and not how I imagine Alcott would handle such correspondence. About half way through the book I began skipping all those sections. However, well worth it to read the essays themselves.

[Sara]

it is an interesting way to tell 2 people's story. Although I'm not sure it entirely worked. I didn't get a totally good sense of what either person was really like. But I did find out a lot about Alcott that I didn't know. What a weird life in a way.

[Theresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Highly entertaining biography (through e-mail letters) between the author (Kit Bakke) whom I know in person and Louisa May Alcott.

[Amanda]

I keep checking this out and not getting around to it, so I guess I'm not as eager as I thought I would be. I love Alcott, but this is someone's take on her, so it should be interesting, but...

[Godine Publisher & Black Sparrow Press · Rating 5 out of 5]

"(An) excellent book. . .the effect is like a wonderful movie shot with a hand-held camera."
- Washington Post Book World

[Tania Scutt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Again, we met the author at Karen Burns', which was a treat.
I learned a lot from this original book.

[Marilynn · Rating 1 out of 5]

BORING BOOK

[Godine Publisher & Black Sparrow Press]

An excellent book . . . the effect is like a wonderful movie shot with a hand-held camera.
—Washington Post Book World

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Clever format for an interesting biography of ALcott.