Book #20: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

Title: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn


Author: Betty Smith


No, this isn't the first time I've read A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, but there is a backstory to why I'm reading it again. I've been trying to get a book club off the ground with my church friends here, and it's not going so well. We had twenty people who signed up to get emails about the group, but only four people came to each of the last two meetings. When we got together to pick books, I brought a whole stack, and the other three girls decided that for four of the six months, they wanted to read books from my pile. The good news about that is that they're all good books (in my opinion, at least). The bad news is that I brought books that I thought would be interesting without being too controversial or challenging, and I thrive on controversy and challenge, especially in a book group. And I've read all of the books on the docket for the next few months, so I'm not feeling particularly excited about rereading any of them.


Anyway, of course I love A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. I loved it as a girl and when I read it a few months ago I couldn't believe what a rich and interesting book it was for adults too. In a lot of ways it reminds me of The Secret Life of Bees (although infinitely better) or To Kill a Mockingbird in the sense that since it's a book about children, it often gets pegged as a children's book, but it's a lot richer than most young adult novels. And longer. Which is why I'm afraid the turnout won't be great tomorrow night. In Minnesota we had great turnout at our book clubs because it was so darn cold and dark (except for the fantastic summers) that no one had much better to do than read books. Here, where it's already gorgeous and sunny and 80 degrees in early April, I think people might find themselves too diverted to read a 500 page novel.


Anyway, if you've made it to adulthood without reading A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, shame on you. You can, however, redeem yourself by reading it. And while you're at it, Betty Smith's Joy in the Morning. I haven't read that since I was a young teenager either, and I remember getting a great education in birth control. As soon as I'm done posting this I'm getting on the library website to reserve a copy to read again.  I want to see if it stands the test of time as well as A Tree Grows in Brooklyn did for me.


--originally published 4/4/06