This blog is created in conjunction with the These Books Made Me podcast. Check out the corresponding episode, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher or wherever you normally listen to podcasts. Or you can simply click on the link to the episode to listen.
This episode also comes with its own bonus episode which grew out of our A Tree Grows in Brooklyn expert segment. We reached out to Prince George’s County Councilwoman Deni Taveras to reflect on whether Smith’s depiction of New York reflected any of her own experiences growing up in New York. The conversation morphed into a much broader discussion about affordable housing and public education and was simply too good to reduce to one segment. We’re happy to offer the entire conversation here as our first bonus episode.
Whether you loved A Tree Grows in Brooklyn for the detailed dive into another time period or because Francie’s coming of age story resonated with you, these modern classics share the magic of rich historical world-building and a determined heroine. The following books can be enjoyed by young readers or adults:
- Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson
Jacqueline Woodson has cited A Tree Grows in Brooklyn as an inspiration for her, particularly for her book Another Brooklyn. Brown Girl Dreaming is a good pick for younger readers who love coming of age novels and who also want to be writers. - Before We Were Free by Julia Alvarez
12 year old Anita is living in Trujillo’s Dominican Republic in the 1960s. Her family members have been emigrating due to pressure from the Secret Police due to the family’s opposition of Trujillo. After her uncle disappears and a series of strange phone calls, Anita must flee from her home all while navigating adolescence and growing up. - Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool
A Newbery winner, this book follows a 12 year old girl during 1936 who is uprooted and moved to the rundown town of Manifest, Kansas. Abilene unravels a town mystery and learns much about her absent father and herself. This is another great novel in a rich historical setting and focusing on themes of family and finding yourself.
And now for some titles best for older teens and adults due to complexity or subject matter, here’s some more standouts from the bildungsroman or memoir genres:
- The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls
Walls pens this as a true memoir, unlike Smith’s pseudo-memoir, but like Smith, the rich truth of lived experience and resilience of the main character come through in crystal clarity. Jeanette’s family life is characterized by frequent outrunning of debts, long stretches of poverty, and her father’s alcoholism. This story is harder edged, but ultimately a story of how the bonds of family can both weigh us down and uplift us. - How the Garcia Girls Lost their Accents by Julia Alvarez
Alvarez weaves a story of immigration, prejudice, culture, and assimilation in her novel following the Garcia girls backwards in time from adulthood to their childhoods in the Dominican Republic. The story hops between the Dominican Republic of the late 80s, New York from the 60s on, and Trujillo’s rule in the late 50s in the Dominican Republic. The four sisters emerge as very different personality types, but all forces to be reckoned with, much like the Rommelly sisters and Francie. - The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak
A coming of age story narrated by the character of death as he follows a young teen growing up in Nazi Germany during World War II. Fans who loved the historical elements and the way the book followed one girl through slices of most of her life will enjoy those elements in this book. Both titles also share a reverence for reading and the written word.
