Betty Smith

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn Betty Smith

Named one of the books of the century by the New York Public Library, this is the profoundly moving classic about a young girl coming of age at the turn of the century.
Born in 1901 in the slums of Brooklyn, Francie Nolan has grown up under the burden of suffering that is the lot of the great citys poor. Romantic like her father, an Irish singing waiter, yet pragmatic like her mother, a housecleaner and fierce survivor, Francie uses her imagination and tenacity to thrive in the world in spite of these harsh conditions.
First published in 1943, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn created a stir in genteel society with its frank descriptions of povertys squalor. But the books rich humor and pathos and its wealth of unforgettable characters have ensured its place in American literature.