Betty Smith's Novel A Tree Grows In Brooklyn

Betty Smith had written things before and after writing A Tree Grows In Brooklyn, but that is what she is really remembered for. That is no surprise, as it was a big success. She was a one-hit wonder with her book A Tree Grows In Brooklyn, because of it’s resemblance to her life, it being hard for her subsequent books to compare with, and it being relatable to its readers. A Tree Grows In Brooklyn might have done so well because of how much it resembles Smith's life. Basing a story on thing that happened in real life makes the story more realistic and easier for the reader to understand and relate too. Both Smith and the main character, Francie, were born in the Williamsburg Section of Brooklyn. They both left school when they were fourteen years old to work. Both of them had step dads. There are many more similarity you can notice between the two. It is possible, that her own life was the only thing she could really write about, and the books that she wrote after weren’t as successful because they weren't inspired by her life as much, or at all.

Her later books “do not repeat the material or power of the first”(ProQuest). The book was an “immediate best seller”(ProQuest). In 1943 Twentieth Century Fox had purchased the film rights. Half of that money went to the book's publisher Harper & Brothers. The movie was released in 1945. The movie itself appears to be good. It is rated 8.2/10 by IMDb, and 100% by Rotten Tomatoes. None of her other books were turned into movies. Not only did the movie come out that year, but by the end of 1945 she had made close to $110,000 from the three million copies of the book that were sold (CliffsNotes). That is way better compared to the average book, and even best sellers. This is very hard to compete with, which would be one of the reasons why it is her one hit. She had released a total of 4