A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith

by Debbie Florke
(North Platte, NE)

Genre: Fiction
Number of Pages: 420

Year of Publication: 1943

Recognition: ?

Many years ago, in my early teens, I first read A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. As I consumed the pages I became enmeshed in the Nolan family. It was a bittersweet moment when I finished the book and thought I had to leave them behind. Little did I know at the time, but they have remained with me over the years and I remember them frequently. In my opinion there is no greater tribute to an author.
It is life, laughter and sorrow. Francie Nolan was far from my farm in rural Iowa, but still I could relate to everything about her life and experiences in Brooklyn which began in 1912, more than fifty years prior. There was a tenacity about Francie that made me admire her. The author gives us a clear look at poverty in America as well as all the problems this could entail. I was also able to compare my rural upbringing to her life in the city. I did realize her life was a tough one, but I had moments when I would have traded places with her…. At that point in my life I would have traded my dull dreary farm life for the excitement I read about on the streets of Brooklyn. It appeared to me that every day of the Nolan’s life was filled to bursting with drama and adventure.I watched Francie grow up, never an easy task, but even harder for her as she endured many hardships.
I especially appreciated the relationship that Francie had with her father. Johnny had a problem with the “bottle” and it was obvious he caused problems for the family and heartache as well, but there was no denying he held a deep seated love for his family. Johnny’s struggles with life intrigued me as well. Each character in the book remains with me and they come to visit me often, sometimes when I least expect them. When times are tough I often remember the tiny tree that was able to grow against all odds through the crack in the sidewalk outside Francie’s tenement.
I am a voracious reader, having devoured an uncountable number of books, but nothing has stayed with me like,”A Tree Grows in Brooklyn”.