A Tree Grows in Brooklyn: A Novel

376 pp. The classic coming-of-age story set in New York at the turn of the 20th century. Inspiration for the 1945 film directed by Elia Kazan. "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is a semi-autobiographical 1943 novel written by Betty Smith. The story focuses on an impoverished but aspirational adolescent girl and her family living in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, New York City, during the first two decades of the 20th century. The book was an immense success. The main metaphor of the book is the hardy Tree of Heaven, whose persistent ability to grow and flourish even in the inner city mirrors the protagonist's desire to better herself."