Betty Smith: Published in the Gazette June 14, 2009

There is much discussion in the book publishing world about how a book should begin and progress. Many believe readers should be grabbed by the throat in the first chapter and shaken around by it for the rest of the book. “Tension in every paragraph,” experts insist. “Keep readers hooked and turning pages.”

Sometimes I agree with such experts. I want the heart-pounding thrill ride of a book that keeps me up all night. But other times, I simply don’t. Like trying to eat a hamburger at breakfast, there are times when a fast-paced book doesn’t agree with me.

“A Tree Grows in Brooklyn” by Betty Smith was first published in 1943. The book is the story of Francie Nolan, a girl growing up in Brooklyn. Francie is eleven-years-old when the story opens in the early 1900s. People moved at a slower pace back then, and thankfully, so does the book. Does that mean Francie’s story is boring? No, it is most assuredly not.

“A Tree Grows in Brooklyn” contains a singing waiter, a woman married to multiple men, a rapist hiding in hallways, and endearing loves stories. The book is not boring, but it’s not grabbing readers by the throat, either. Instead, readers are made to feel as if they’re sitting beside Francie on the fire escape, on the front stoop, on the piano bench. Readers take in the sights and sounds of Francie’s working class neighborhood and they feel what Francie is feeling. And the story grows as Francie does: slowly, thoughtfully.

“A Tree Grows in Brooklyn” is recognized as an autobiographical story, though at the request of Ms. Smith’s editor, it was not touted as such. Perhaps it’s the authenticity of the story that’s gives it such an edge over books similar in tone and circumstance. As readers spend time with Francie and her family, they come to know the characters, much as if Betty Smith had a hosted a modest tea for readers in her walk-up apartment.

There is a lot of hope involved with reading this book. Francie is such a sweet little creature; readers desperately want her to rise above her poverty. That’s part of what makes “A Tree Grows in Brooklyn” a great book. Most will root for Francie and will want to see her succeed. And even if the book doesn’t grab readers by the throat, Francie grabs them by the heart.