On its surface, there's nothing exceptional about Louisa May Alcott's masterpiece "Little Women." From the opening chapter, the four March girls are stuck in middle-class life celebrating a Christmas that isn't all that frivolous. To some, it would be a moment to cry. For others, it's where the magic of the book begins to take hold. Together, the girls get together and find a way to make the most of this familial holiday. With an exploration of core common values, the story is an exploration of growing up and discovering the person that you're meant to be. With each of the four girls embodying a different archetype, the story shows how one grows and changes while finding ways to cohabitate with others. While some see it as a radical take on the feminism of the 19th century, it's easier to see it as the ultimate story of growing up, reflecting the childlike creativity that blooms into more mature themes. It's a simple story, but it only helps every reader to find themselves somewhere in the text. We are all young once, and few books embrace it with such joyful earnestness as this.
