A Tree Grow in Brooklyn was the best book I read in 2021.
This is a rare book where the characters felt very real to me. Francie Nolan is one of the most realized written characters I've ever read. It's written with compassion, humor and (most important) honesty. There isn't really a plot to speak of. Life just happens. But that is where the beauty lies in this book. I didn't care about a story structure or grammar. I cared about the characters.

The world Betty Smith creates feels very alive. As it should. The book is apparently semi-autobiographical. If she endured half of the poverty and hardship that Francie does in this book and came out half as good Francie then she must have been one hell of a woman. One of the marks of a well written book is that you can connect with and empathize with the characters. I've never been to Brooklyn. I've never been a little girl. But it doesn't matter. I have been a child. I remember falling in love with reading and writing. I also remember the bittersweet realities of growing up. I can relate to Francie. There's something so wonderful about that. I think that anybody with a beating heart would get something out of this book.