Betty Smith’s Followers (2,091)

Betty Smith

Born

in Brooklyn, NY, The United States

December 15, 1896

Died

January 17, 1972

Genre

Literature & Fiction

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Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Betty Smith (AKA Sophina Elisabeth Wehner): Born- December 15, 1896; Died- January 17, 1972

Born in Brooklyn, New York to German immigrants, she grew up poor in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. These experiences served as the framework to her first novel, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1943).

After marrying George H. E. Smith, a fellow Brooklynite, she moved with him to Ann Arbor, Michigan, where he pursued a law degree at the University of Michigan. At this time, she gave birth to two girls and waited until they were in school so she could complete her higher education. Although Smith had not finished high school, the university al ...more

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Average rating: 4.29 · 529,321 ratings · 34,670 reviews · 23 distinct works • Similar authors

	A Tree Grows in Brooklyn 4.30 avg rating — 511,095 ratings — published 1943 — 398 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Joy in the Morning 3.94 avg rating — 8,967 ratings — published 1963 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Tomorrow Will Be Better 3.93 avg rating — 4,692 ratings — published 1948 — 56 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Maggie-Now 3.92 avg rating — 2,840 ratings — published 1958 — 35 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	A Tree Grows in Brooklyn & Maggie-Now 4.42 avg rating — 1,328 ratings — 10 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Det växte ett träd i Brooklyn, del 1 3.60 avg rating — 240 ratings — published 1943 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Det växte ett träd i Brooklyn - Del 2 3.99 avg rating — 141 ratings — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Captive Heart by Betty Smith, Wendy Smith (Goodreads Author) 3.25 avg rating — 8 ratings — published 2014 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Complete Novels of Betty Smith. Illustrated: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Tomorrow Will Be Better, Maggie-Now, Joy in the Morning really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 3 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Once Upon an Age liked it 3.00 avg rating — 1 rating — published 2005	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by Betty Smith…

Susan Orlean, the author of The Orchid Thief: A True Story of Beauty and Obsession and staff writer for The New Yorker, is back on bookshelves...

81 likes · 13 comments

Quotes by Betty Smith (?)

“The world was hers for the reading.”
― Betty Smith, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

tags: books, feminist, reading

4158 likes

“Dear God," she prayed, "let me be something every minute of every hour of my life. Let me be gay; let me be sad. Let me be cold; let me be warm. Let me be hungry...have too much to eat. Let me be ragged or well dressed. Let me be sincere - be deceitful. Let me be truthful; let me be a liar. Let me be honorable and let me sin. Only let me be something every blessed minute. And when I sleep, let me dream all the time so that not one little piece of living is ever lost.”
― Betty Smith, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

tags: growing-up, inspirational, life

2175 likes

“I know that's what people say-- you'll get over it. I'd say it, too. But I know it's not true. Oh, youll be happy again, never fear. But you won't forget. Every time you fall in love it will be because something in the man reminds you of him.”
― Betty Smith, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

tags: happiness, lost-love, love

2122 likes

See all Betty Smith's quotes »

Polls

August BoTM Nominations ~ Great American Read - Final Poll

White Teeth

by Zadie Smith

11 votes, 22.4%

The Help

by Kathryn Stockett

11 votes, 22.4%

Flowers in the Attic

by V.C. Andrews

8 votes, 16.3%

The Alchemist

by Paulo Coelho

8 votes, 16.3%

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

by Betty Smith

6 votes, 12.2%

Tales of the City

by Armistead Maupin

5 votes, 10.2%

49 total votes

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