Happy Monday! The purpose of memorable Monday is to showcase a book that you’ve read in the past and share how/why it has stuck with you.
This week I’m featuring:
I know that I heard of some people reading this for school, but I didn’t. I remember borrowing this from a friend when I was in high school. She was homeschooled but I believe she read it for school herself. I remember being sucked deep into this one and wondering just why I hadn’t read it in school (considering some of the alternatives). Definitely one that’s worth the read in a lifetime.
About the Book:
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.
A profoundly moving novel, and an honest and true one. It cuts right to the heart of life … If you miss A Tree Grows in Brooklyn you will deny yourself a rich experience … It is a poignant and deeply understanding story of childhood and family relationships. The Nolans lived in the Williamsburg slums of Brooklyn from 1902 until 1919 … Their daughter Francie and their son Neely knew more than their fair share of the privations and sufferings that are the lot of a great city’s poor. Primarily this is Francie’s book. She is a superb feat of characterization, an imaginative, alert, resourceful child. And Francie’s growing up and beginnings of wisdom are the substance of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.
About the Author:
Betty Smith (AKA Sophina Elisabeth Wehner): Born- December 15, 1896; Died- January 17, 1972
Born in Brooklyn, New York to German immigrants, she grew up poor in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. These experiences served as the framework to her first novel, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1943).
After marrying George H. E. Smith, a fellow Brooklynite, she moved with him to Ann Arbor, Michigan, where he pursued a law degree at the University of Michigan. At this time, she gave birth to two girls and waited until they were in school so she could complete her higher education. Although Smith had not finished high school, the university allowed her to enroll in classes. There she honed her skills in journalism, literature, writing, and drama, winning a prestigious Hopwood Award. She was a student in the classes of Professor Kenneth Thorpe Rowe.
In 1938 she divorced her husband and moved to Chapel Hill, North Carolina. There she married Joseph Jones in 1943, the same year in which A Tree Grows in Brooklyn was published. She teamed with George Abbott to write the book for the 1951 musical adaptation of the same name. Throughout her life, Smith worked as a dramatist, receiving many awards and fellowships including the Rockefeller Fellowship and the Dramatists Guild Fellowship for her work in drama. Her other novels include Tomorrow Will Be Better (1947), Maggie-Now (1958) and Joy in the Morning (1963).
Now it’s your turn!
Share the name of a book you read in the past and why it was so memorable to you in the comments! You can also click the icon below to visit more Memorable Monday folks and/or add a link to your own post!
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I’ve never read A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. I have heard a lot about it though. Thanks for sharing. 🙂
Never read this book. It’s sitting on my book shelf at school. I recommend it every now and then, but I just haven’t gotten to this book yet.
I’ve never read it but now I want to. I just checked and my local library has it so it might go on my summer reading list.
This book has been on my TBR forever! I really need to make time to read it. Thanks for the reminder.