They say good art comes from pain. The life of Betty Smith proves this to be true. But before you read this biography you need to be aware that you may be tearing down the facade that makes her novel, " A Tree Grows In Brooklyn," such a pleasure to read over and over again.
The author, Ms. Yow used to pass a quaint little house adjacent to the UNC Campus at Chapel Hill. Inquiring about it she found that it was the home of the author Betty Smith. Realizing that all of Ms. Smiths papers are stored at the Chapel Hill location she requested, and then obtained permission, to look through them, with the aim of writing this wonderful book.
Drawing upon the University archives, Ms. Yow has written an extensive and accurate biography of both the life of Betty Smith, and her landmark novel "A Tree Grows In Brooklyn." Originally written as an autobiography and then, at the suggestion of an editor, reformed into a novel, this is one of my favorite books. Actually, it is my favorite book.
Beginning with the histories of the real Wehner (Nolans) and Hummel(Rommely) families, the author takes on the novel, piece by piece and points out the differences in the fiction versus the real life stories. They are slightly different, but remarkably the same.
To begin with, Katie's family was Austrian, not German. And Johnny's family was German, not Irish. This was kind of a shock. But almost all of the remaining features of the novel were taken from real life.
Beginning with the caul that was coveted by the midwife at Francis' birth, and continuing on to the local junk dealer and even Aunt Eva, the story is clearly an autobiography. Even Uncle Willie Flittman is there. But sadly, there appears to be no real Aunt Sissy.
The caul story is one of the more fascinating tales in this book. I knew that the practice of obtaining a caul was common amongst seamen of the time, but this was the first book that really drove it home. Maybe because it's real and takes place in Brooklyn.
Another of the striking sequences in the book is the direct replay of her Dad's drinking and day dreaming, much to the dismay of Frances' (Betty Smith's) mother(Katherine) in the novel. Some of the dialect is verbatim and it hurts to think how much this must have hurt Ms. Smith to hear. She clearly worshipped her father, flawed as he was.
The story of her mothers remarraige is also sad. A trash collector 20 years her seinor was bawling her out for sweeping into the street. He came back to apologize and eventually they entered into a marraige of convenience. He had two sons. In many of her private letters and some of her short stories Ms. Smith alludes to some sort of uneasiness concerning her stepdad. And this caused some friction with her Mom. She blamed the daughter for imagining things.
Leaving school at 14 years old so that her brother could continue on to High School is another true event. And it had lasting repercussions. While her brother went on to finish High School, he wound up owning a gas station for his entire life. He never needed his Diploma at all. Ms. Smith, on the other hand, worked for everything required to gain her Bachelor of Science degree, but never received it due to not having a High School Diploma. And when it came time to receive her Master of Fine Arts, she lacked the necessary Bachelors Degree to be awarded the Masters.
There is so much more to this book than just the story of the novel. This book chronicles the entire life of Betty Smith, her marraige and her writing.It is a very interesting and well researched book that strips away all the sepia toned quality of Brooklyn as a serene and quaint place in the summer of 1912. For that reason, and that reason only, I am sorry that I read this book.
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