A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

By Betty Smith

Words from the achiever

“I think the book that moved me most when I was growing up was A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. I had a tree in my backyard, too, so I identified with her. I just thought, “Oh, this is my life.” And then I discovered Maya Angelou’s I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. Well, first of all, it was the first time I had ever encountered another woman who had been sexually abused. I could not imagine. I felt that way, too, when I read The Color Purple. I read the first page of The Color Purple, put the book down, and wept. I could not believe it, that someone had put this in writing. It was unbelievable.”

About the book

The American classic about a young girl’s coming of age in the first years of the century.