A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

I like books that make you think. And in my opinion, there are very few books that have the ability to take you back to your own childhood and leave you with the gentle embrace of reminiscence. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn does just that to you.

In simple terms, this book is full of child-like innocence and hard-hitting at the same time. It's a brutally-honest story of a little girl, Francie, who's brought up in squalor and abject poverty by a strong-minded, hard-working mother who leaves no stone unturned to make ends meet and a father who's often shown lost somewhere in the hustle-bustle called life. Francie has a little brother who's also her friend and later a confidant.

The story moves at a languid pace, though never boring, recounting the struggles Francie's family goes through just to manage a decent meal on most days. Amid all this is Francie with her wide-eyed amazement and child-like perspective towards everything in life. Like all kids, she has the simplest of fantasies, yet to her they're THE moonshots - if only she could have the fanciest looking doll for a best friend, how great it'd feel to have her own desk at the dilapidated school where she studies and the day she gets to have her favorite flavor of ice-cream soda is the best day ever!

Her desires hardly ever see the light of the day, yet Francie is patient. She's precocious and intuitive. Even though the society and her conservative upbringing try to shove their deep-rooted, narrow-minded ideas down her throat, she keeps her eyes and ears open always taking mental notes. Although this child doesn't have any elder in the family with whom she can question the ways of the world without being reprimanded, she has a deep sense of injustice and prejudice. Sometimes she acts against her better judgement just because that's how society has taught her to be. Being a kid she feels helpless about it, but ashamed all the same.

Through all this, she dreams to build a better tomorrow for herself and her mother who's seen nothing but poverty all her life. It's not that she has a plan. She just goes about doing what feels right to her and finds her voice as she grows up. And that's how Francie's story weaves itself into a soft lullaby for its reader!

More often than not, it reminded me of my own childish fantasies that meant the world to me at some point. I remember forever wanting to own a pencil box which opened on both sides and which had separate slots for a sharpener and an eraser! Just the thought of being able to have a separate room for my sharpener and eraser felt like a privilege to me! :D Eventually I outgrew that dream without any regrets. Back in college, I remember, I spotted a pair sitting inside a Starbucks. They had an air of professionalism about them. Everything about them screamed of grace and a sense of purpose. With a laptop, open in front of them, they seemed engrossed in a discussion. I saw them through the great glass doors of Starbucks. At that time, Starbucks was a completely alien concept to me. Also, I hated Coffee! But I distinctly remember being in awe of them. I stopped right in my tracks & took in the entire scene and that's why it's still so alive in my memory. And I remember wondering whether I'd ever be that "fine" in life! It seemed like a distant dream.

Like all dreams, which once fulfilled seem frivolous, this one feels no different now. But I'm glad just the same! I'm still searching the horribly-dark depths of my mind to dredge up more of my childish fantasies, but I've been drawing a blank so far. Nevertheless, it's good to get a sense of how far you've come from that person that was still You. :)

I hope you do give this book a chance and I wish it helps you go down your own memory lane. For my next read, I've picked up Fall of Giants by Ken Follet once again. It's the first of three books in the series which revolves around both the World Wars. This books is an absolute gem and I can't wait to write more about it soon.

Till then, happy reading!




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