A Tree Grows In Brooklyn

Betty Smith was born Elisabeth Lillian Wehner in 1896 in Brooklyn, New York. Her novels continue to capture the hearts and imaginations of millions of readers worldwide.
The daughter of German immigrants, she grew up poor in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. These experiences would form the basis for her novel, written and published in 1943. A Tree in the Sky of Brooklyn.
The manuscript began as a piece of non-fiction entitled They lived in Brooklyn., which Smith began sending to publishers in 1940. After being rejected repeatedly, he submitted it to a contest held by Harper & Brothers In 1942, at the suggestion of the publishers, Smith expanded and revised the work, classifying it as a novel and changing the title.
The book became so popular upon its release that it had a second edition before the official publication date, and not even the attempt at censorship prevented its success. Themes such as alcoholism, sex, or child abuse were not tolerated in public. What was once seen as a fictional story within a ghetto is now seen as the story of any other girl anywhere in the world, at any time.
Betty wrote other novels, such as Tomorrow Will Be Better (1948) and Maggie-Now (1958), in addition to theatrical plays.
He spent much of his life in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, where he pursued his literary career. Betty Smith passed away in 1972, leaving a legacy as one of the great chroniclers of urban life and the American working class.