A Tree Grows In Brooklyn is a novel by Betty Smith first published in 1943. It relates the coming-of-age story of its main character, Francie Nolan, and her Irish-American family struggling against poverty in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, New York. The novel is set in the first and second decades of the 20th century. The book was an immense success, a nationwide best-seller that was distributed to servicemen overseas. It was also adapted into a popular motion picture, the first feature film directed by Elia Kazan. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... In political geography and international politics, a country is a political division of a geographical entity, a sovereign territory, most commonly associated with the notions of state or nation and government. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... A novel (from French nouvelle Italian novella, new) is an extended, generally fictional narrative, typically in prose. ... A publisher is a person or entity which engages in the act of publishing. ... Year 1943 (MCMXLIII) was a common year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1943 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require cleanup. ... ISBN-13 represented as EAN-13 bar code (in this case ISBN 978-3-16-148410-0) The International Standard Book Number, ISBN, is a unique[1] commercial book identifier barcode. ... This article is about the 1945 film. ... A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is a musical with a book by George Abbott and Betty Smith, lyrics by Dorothy Fields, and music by Arthur Schwartz. ... A novel (from French nouvelle Italian novella, new) is an extended, generally fictional narrative, typically in prose. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Year 1943 (MCMXLIII) was a common year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1943 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Williamsburg Bridge connects the Brooklyn neighborhood to Manhattan Williamsburg is a neighborhood in northern Brooklyn, New York City. ... For other meanings, see Brooklyn (disambiguation). ... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999... Elia Kazan, (Greek: Ηλίας Καζάν, IPA: ), (September 7, 1909 – September 28, 2003) was a Greek-American film and theatre director, film and theatrical producer, screenwriter, novelist and cofounder of the influential Actors Studio in New York in 1947. ...

Much of the book can be thought of as thinly disguised autobiography. Many of the characters derive from actual inhabitants of Williamsburg with whom the author grew up.

The central metaphor of the book is the Tree of Heaven, which is a hardy species commonplace in the back lots of New York City. Species Ailanthus altissima Ailanthus excelsa Ailanthus giraldii Ailanthus malabarica Ailanthus triphysa Ailanthus vilmoriniana Ailanthus (derived from ailanto, an Amboine word probably meaning tree of the gods or tree of heaven) is a genus of 6-10 species of trees belonging to the family Simaroubaceae, in the order Rutales. ...

Plot summary

In pre-World War I Brooklyn, young Francie struggles to keep her idealism alive in the face of grinding poverty, the comedies and tragedies of ordinary life. Her mother, Katie, is a realistic woman who works as a janitor in their tenement to make ends meet. Her father, Johnny, is an alcoholic singing waiter who is more of a dreamer. Along with her brother Neeley, the four of them live in a poor apartment in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, New York City. Williamsburg is the name of some places in the United States of America: Williamsburg, Brooklyn in New York City Williamsburg, Colorado Williamsburg, Florida Williamsburg, Iowa Williamsburg, Kansas Williamsburg, Kentucky Williamsburg, Maryland Williamsburg, Massachusetts Williamsburg, Michigan Williamsburg, New Mexico Williamsburg, North Carolina Williamsburg, Ohio Williamsburg, Pennsylvania Williamsburg, Virginia including Colonial Williamsburg... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ...

The novel begins with Francie and Neeley going to the pawn shop on a Saturday, after scraping through garbage and such for foil. They receive pennies for this task from the shop owner, and they split the earnings, with some of it going into the family star bank. Neeley spends his money on candy, and Francie has a nickel that she holds on to while she browses stores. The neighborhood children all follow the same weekend routine as the Nolans. Johnny has a job that night to perform at a wedding, and comes home to freshen up. He is a proud union member, and always tells his family about the wonderful benefits of being a union member. Francie loves her father but has a strained relationship with her mother. The mother admits to loving Neeley more than Francie, though only to herself. When Johnny is drunk, he is quiet, which leads people to think he's sober, and he's happy and singing when he's sober, which makes people think he's drunk. Since it's Saturday, Francie is allowed to sleep in the front room, which is one of her favorite things about Saturdays (besides going to the library and her cup of coffee to do with as she pleases). She stays awake to wait for her father to come home from his job. The United States five-cent coin, commonly called a nickel, is a unit of currency equaling one-twentieth, or five hundredths, of a United States dollar. ...

As the Nolans scrape by on pennies, the novel focuses on Francie's struggle for a better life despite all the pressures. We come to know these people well through big and little troubles: Aunt Sissy's scandalous succession of "husbands;" Aunt Evy and her always down-on-his-luck husband, her grandmother, and various other people that come into their lives. The story also tells how Katie and Johnny met, and leads up to when the novel starts with the current apartment that they're living in.

Francie and Neeley both attend school, with Francie going to a better school in a nicer location. She starts writing short stories to entertain herself, which is a vent for her. The family takes piano lessons from an old spinster that lives in their apartment building. Johnny gets kicked out of the union because of his drinking. Aunt Sissy adopts a baby girl, and has a surviving biological child of her own, after giving birth to ten stillborn babies. She also finally settles down with her husband Steve, and gives up her promiscuous ways. Johnny eventually dies of alcoholism after he learns that Katie is pregnant for a third time, and doesn't live to see his new baby girl born. Meanwhile, Francie and Neeley both take on part time jobs, but then Francie has to work full time to help make ends meet with the new baby and the death of Johnny. This upsets her because it means that she will have to leave school, despite her being the more academic one than Neeley. World War I has started, and Francie meets a solider that she falls in love with. Only, the solider turns out to be engaged, and she gets a letter from his new wife explaining everything. She heals her heartache with time and another young man. Katie marries a retired police officer, who is running for a government office position, ensuring a better life for her family.

Adaptations

• The book was adapted into a 1945 film directed by Elia Kazan, starring James Dunn, Dorothy McGuire, Joan Blondell, and Peggy Ann Garner, who won a Special Academy Award for Outstanding Child Actress of 1945. James Dunn also won an Academy Award for the film, for Best Supporting Actor.
• In 1951, George Abbott produced and directed the story as a Broadway musical, collaborating with the author on the book, and with music by Arthur Schwartz and choreography by Herbert Ross. The show starred Shirley Booth, Marcia van Dyke, and twelve year old Nomi Mitty played Francie. It ran for 267 performances.
• There was also a short-lived 1974 television series, starring Cliff Robertson and Pamelyn Ferdin and based on the film's screenplay.

BITCH Year 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar). ... Film is a term that encompasses individual motion pictures, the field of film as an art form, and the motion picture industry. ... The film director, on the right, gives last minute direction to the cast and crew, whilst filming a costume drama on location in London. ... Elia Kazan, (Greek: Ηλίας Καζάν, IPA: ), (September 7, 1909 – September 28, 2003) was a Greek-American film and theatre director, film and theatrical producer, screenwriter, novelist and cofounder of the influential Actors Studio in New York in 1947. ... James Howard Dunn (born November 2, 1905; died September 3, 1967) was an American film actor. ... Dorothy McGuire and Kent Smith in The Spiral Staircase Dorothy Hackett McGuire (June 14, 1916 – September 13, 2001) was an American actress. ... Although he never won an Oscar for any of his movie performances, the comedian Bob Hope received two honorary Oscars for his contributions to cinema. ... Although he never won an Oscar for any of his movie performances, the comedian Bob Hope received two honorary Oscars for his contributions to cinema. ... George Abbott (June 25, 1887 - January 31, 1995) was a theatre producer and director, playwright, screenwriter, and film director and producer whose career spanned more than seven decades. ... Arthur Schwartz photo taken by Carl Van Vechten, 1933 Arthur Schwartz (November 25, 1900 - September 3, 1984) was an Jewish-American composer of popular music. ... Herbert David Ross (May 13, 1927 in Brooklyn, New York - October 9, 2001 in New York City), also known as Herb Ross, was a prolific film director, producer, choreographer and actor from the 1950s to the 1990s. ... Shirley Booth (August 30, 1898 – October 16, 1992) was an acclaimed American actress. ... Cliff Robertson. ... Pamelyn Ferdin (born February 4, 1959) is an outspoken animal rights activist and former child actress. ... Sample from a screenplay, showing dialogue and action descriptions. ...

In popular culture

A US Serviceman reading an Armed Forces *Edition of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

• In the episode, "Why We Fight" of the Band of Brothers HBO mini-series (which focuses on the 101st Airborne Division in World War II) two soldiers share a copy of "A Tree Grows In Brooklyn".
• A 1947 Looney Tunes cartoon, A Hare Grows In Manhattan, features Bugs Bunny with a copy of the book, of which he remarks, "Ya know, maybe I oughta read dis t'ing!"
• Episode 403 of the TV show Daria referenced the book's title in its title, "A Tree Grows in Lawndale". [1]

Image File history File linksMetadata Serviceman_reading_brooklyn. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Serviceman_reading_brooklyn. ... Band of Brothers is an acclaimed 10-part television miniseries set during World War II, co-produced by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks. ... HBO (Home Box Office) is the premium television programming subsidiary of Time Warner. ... The 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault)—nicknamed the “Screaming Eagles”—is an elite airborne division of the United States Army primarily trained for air assault operations. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... Looney Tunes opening title Looney Tunes is a Warner Brothers animated cartoon series which ran in many movie theatres from 1930 to 1969. ... A cartoon is any of several forms of illustrations with varied meanings that evolved from its original meaning. ... A Hare Grows In Manhattan is a 1947 Warner Bros. ... Bugs Bunny is an Academy Award-winning fictional animated rabbit who appears in the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of animated films produced by Warner Bros. ... Daria is an American animated television series that aired from 1997 to 2002 and was created by Glenn Eichler and Susie Lewis Lynn for MTV. A spin-off of MTVs Beavis and Butt-head, Daria also became something of a cultural icon. ...

External links

• In depth review of A Tree Grows In Brooklyn
• Spark Notes Guide to A Tree Grows In Brooklyn
• A Tree Grows In Brooklyn at the Internet Movie Database