"A Tree Grows in Brooklyn"

Brooklyn, NY

Both the book by Betty Smith and the movie by Elia Kazan are wonderful. As a poor girl growing up in Brooklyn, I thought that the story of America was about great men: founding fathers and robber barons and famous writers. This was the first book I read about being a girl, about being poor, about living your life through library books, and so much more. It’s about how alcoholism affects a family, how a parent can love one child more than the other, how sexual desire shapes the decisions you make in life. The portrayal of poverty is very detailed and realistic but never sentimental. You’ll never hear the song “Molly Malone” again without crying.

Deborah