A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

This is an okay book written by Betty Smith. It is the coming of age story of Francie, a girl in the slums of turn-of-the-century Brooklyn. Francie grows up with a sweet, tragic father, a severely realistic mother and a favored younger brother. She learns early the meaning of hunger and the value of a penny. She faces the disappointments life brings, including not being allowed the luxury of a high school diploma.

Some of the lines in the book are humorous or clever. The closest I’ve been to Brooklyn is walking on the Brooklyn Bridge. The author did a good job of explaining the frustrations and uncertainties of poverty. The novel was published in 1943. Many of the characters derive from actual inhabitants of Williamsburg. A film version was released in 1945, starring Dorothy McGuire and James Dunn.