June 2022, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, No Spoilers

[☯Emily , The First]

This thread is for a general discussion of the book and the author. Any comment might be a spoiler should go in the spoiler thread.

[☯Emily , The First]

This is a biography of Betty Smith: https://www.literaryladiesguide.com/a...

[☯Emily , The First]

Francie Nolan is my type of girl and probably one of yours too. SHE LOVES BOOKS!

[☯Emily , The First]

This is what Betty Smith said about Brooklyn: “Brooklyn is not a city. It is a faith. You cannot become a Brooklynite. You have to be born one. I was born in Brooklyn."

Anybody here a Brooklynite? If so, do you agree?

[☯Emily , The First]

This link talks about the author's three different versions of why she wrote the book: https://www.literaryladiesguide.com/l...

[Jan]

☯Emily wrote: "Francie Nolan is my type of girl and probably one of yours too. SHE LOVES BOOKS!"

Does being a misfit make you love books? Looking for a place of comfort and acceptance? Reading because they have little else to do? Always thinking and wanting to know.
Or is it introverts are more often misfits and introverts just happen to be book lovers?
My younger, athletic, more popular sister was much more extroverted and probably never bullied. Also, never much of a reader. She was always off with friends. I was an introvert who did not fit in very well and often bullied. I was always reading.

[☯Emily , The First]

Perhaps loving to read and loving books makes you a misfit!

[Abigail]

It may take extroverts longer to come to books, but there’s always hope! 😄 As for the introvert/misfit/reader Venn diagram, here’s my uneducated guess: early readers are often very bright, being very bright often puts a kid out of step with classmates (different abilities and awareness), being out of step often leads to rejection by one’s peers, rejection and humiliation lead to introversion. Not to say that an extroverted kid can’t be very bright.

Here in America, we have an ambivalent relation to smart and intellectual people. We’re encouraged by many parents to become one of them, but there’s no denying we’re viewed with a certain level of suspicion and resentment if we do.

[Jan]

Abigail wrote: "It may take extroverts longer to come to books, but there’s always hope! 😄 As for the introvert/misfit/reader Venn diagram, here’s my uneducated guess: early readers are often very bright, being ve..."

I am tired of the dumbing down and the worship of "stars" in sports and entertainment. Sure, I can appreciate great athletes, singers, and artists. But I am glad there are really smart people out there that can fix problems requiring science, medicine, engineering, and other skill sets. I am also glad we have historians who write fascinating books, and authors who write funny books, and my girl Jane Austen. (Any many other genres too.)