Summary of John Matteson's Eden's Outcasts

Book excerpt: Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Sample Book Insights: #1 Bronson Alcott’s life was shaped by three significant events that occurred within a short period of time in 1828: he paid his first visit to the city of Boston, he first heard the preaching of a young Unitarian minister named Ralph Waldo Emerson, and he proposed marriage to a fascinating woman named Abigail May. #2 Bronson’s school days were interrupted by a total solar eclipse in 1806. He and a group of boys gathered stones to throw at the phenomenon. He stepped awkwardly, dislocating his shoulder blade. More than sixty years later, he recalled this accident as a prophecy of his life. #3 Bronson Alcott grew up on Spindle Hill, and he loved it. It was there that he learned about the world and his parents’ farm, which he found to be a perfect place for him to grow up. #4 Bronson was eventually able to get away from his small town and go to the local school, but he was still confined to the small range of thought that a small, isolated town could provide. He began looking for ways to distance himself intellectually from his environment.