A Tree Grows in Brooklyn — Betty Smith

"A profoundly moving novel, and an honest and true one. It cuts right to the heart of life.... If you miss A Tree Grows in Brooklyn you will deny yourself a rich experience.... It is a poignant and deeply understanding story of childhood and family relationships. The Nolans lived in the Williamsburg slums of Brooklyn from 1902 until 1919. . . . Their daughter, Francie, and their son, Neely, knew more than their fair share of the privations and sufferings that are the lot of a great city's poor. Primarily this is Francie's book. She is a superb feat of characterization, an imaginative, alert, resourceful child. And Francie's growing up and beginnings of wisdom are the substance of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn." -- NEW YORK TIMES