08/19/2026
Today, back in 1943, the novel "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith was first published.
The story focuses on an impoverished but aspirational, second-generation Irish-American, adolescent girl and her family in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, New York City, during the first two decades of the 20th century.
The main metaphor of the story is the hardy Tree of Heaven, native to China and Taiwan, now considered invasive, and common in the vacant lots of New York.
The novel addresses issues like poverty, alcoholism, lying, and more Its main theme is the need for tenacity: the determination to rise above difficult circumstances.
Please share this moment in time 🙂