--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I read Betty Smith's \"A Tree Grows in…" description: "\"I read Betty Smith's \"A Tree Grows in Brooklyn,\" all of Shirley Jackson's books, which I loved.\" — Alice Hoffman" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/64b/alice-hoffman-427_book_i-read-betty-smith-s-a-tree-grows-in-bro_1393194.png" --- # I read Betty Smith's "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn," all of… ![“I read Betty Smith's "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn," all of Shirley Jackson's books, which I loved.” quote by Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/64b/alice-hoffman-427_book_i-read-betty-smith-s-a-tree-grows-in-bro_1393194.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/64b/alice-hoffman-427_book_i-read-betty-smith-s-a-tree-grows-in-bro_1393194.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/64b/alice-hoffman-427_book_i-read-betty-smith-s-a-tree-grows-in-bro_1393194.png) > “I read Betty Smith's "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn," all of Shirley Jackson's books, which I loved.” [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker admires diverse literary voices, indicating a broad, empathetic worldview shaped by varied narratives. **In simple terms:** Loves many authors, showing wide reading taste. Key Takeaway Explore varied perspectives through reading. Themes literature empathy diversity influence Mood inspired curious Type literary personal When to use this quote - book clubs - creative writing - personal growth Key Concepts Narrative empathy cultural literacy Questions to Reflect On - Which author has most changed you? - How does reading different voices affect your life? A Different Perspective Limited to specific genres may narrow outlook. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Brooklyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brooklyn/) [Tree](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tree/) [Trees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trees/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [I had very low self-esteem. Books saved me. I found friends in stories like The Chronicles of Narnia and A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-lawson/i-had-very-low-self-esteem-books-saved-me-i-found-friends-in-stories/) [Jenny Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-lawson/) > [“There is a passage in A Tree Grows in Brooklyn where the main character, Francie, talks about when her diet of stale bread and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-damiani/there-is-a-passage-in-a-tree-grows-in-brooklyn-where-the-main/) Michelle Damiani > [“When it first appeared, in 1943, it was called, by those critics who liked it, an honest book, and that is accurate as far…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-smith/when-it-first-appeared-in-1943-it-was-called-by-those-critics-who/) [Betty Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-smith/) > [It's embarrassing to admit how many times I've reread the following: 'A Tree Grows in Brooklyn,' '1984,' 'Lord of the Flies,' 'The Heart Is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/it-s-embarrassing-to-admit-how-many-times-i-ve-reread-the-following-a/) [Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/) > [I loved 'A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.' I read it later as an adult, but I loved 'We Have Always Lived in a Castle.'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/i-loved-a-tree-grows-in-brooklyn-i-read-it-later-as-an-adult-but-i/) [Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/) > [“I soon discovered that one doesn't simply read Crime and Punishment or A Tree Grows in Brooklyn . One reads a certain edition, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alberto-manguel/i-soon-discovered-that-one-doesn-t-simply-read-crime-and-punishment/) [Alberto Manguel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alberto-manguel/) > [“Betty Dravis is a fantastic mix of Shirley Jackson, Edna Buchanan and Janis Joplin. Don't ask me how I came up with that unlikely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-laflamme/betty-dravis-is-a-fantastic-mix-of-shirley-jackson-edna-buchanan-and/) Mark Laflamme > [“Don’t do it, Eleanor told the little girl; insist on your cup of stars; once they have trapped you into being like everyone else…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/don-t-do-it-eleanor-told-the-little-girl-insist-on-your-cup-of-stars-4/) [Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/) > [“and if it played its cards right they could end up flitting through the Overlook’s halls like insubstantial shades in a Shirley Jackson novel,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/and-if-it-played-its-cards-right-they-could-end-up-flitting-through/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [THE THREE is really wonderful. A mix of Michael Crichton and Shirley Jackson, hard to put down and vastly entertaining.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-three-is-really-wonderful-a-mix-of-michael-crichton-and-shirley/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [By the time I got to college I had stopped reading books because I wanted to "be cool" and started reading books simply because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-rich/by-the-time-i-got-to-college-i-had-stopped-reading-books-because-i/) [Simon Rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-rich/) > [Shirley Jackson said that a confused reader is an antagonistic reader, and I live by that. It's okay to start anywhere, and to let…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/shirley-jackson-said-that-a-confused-reader-is-an-antagonistic-reader/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [Shirley Jackson's writings are a must for aficionados of the gothic and of good literature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-ruiz-zafon/shirley-jackson-s-writings-are-a-must-for-aficionados-of-the-gothic/) [Carlos Ruiz Zafon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-ruiz-zafon/) > [Ambiguity and the horror of possibility play a part in so many of my favorite horror stories: Shirley Jackson's 'We Will Always Live in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-g-tremblay/ambiguity-and-the-horror-of-possibility-play-a-part-in-so-many-of-my/) [Paul G. Tremblay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-g-tremblay/) > [“Beyond the table, there is an altar, with candles lit for Billie Holiday and Willa Carter and Hypatia and Patsy Cline. Next to it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carmen-maria-machado/beyond-the-table-there-is-an-altar-with-candles-lit-for-billie/) [Carmen Maria Machado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carmen-maria-machado/) ## More by Alice Hoffman > [Women know things that men will never know. We keep the best secrets. We tell the best stories.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/women-know-things-that-men-will-never-know-we-keep-the-best-secrets/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [“All of the quarters in his hand were tarnished. He had no idea that the silver in a man’s pockets always turns black if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/all-of-the-quarters-in-his-hand-were-tarnished-he-had-no-idea-that/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [But most important of all, she explained that it was all right to say 'No. I disagree.' that was a gift. I understood it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/but-most-important-of-all-she-explained-that-it-was-all-right-to-say/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [“It was after dark when the woods were most filled with magic, when there were fireflies and the mist was rising from the streams.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/it-was-after-dark-when-the-woods-were-most-filled-with-magic-when/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [“Never look back, that's what she's told herself. Don't think about swans or being alone in the dark. Don't think of storms, or lightning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/never-look-back-that-s-what-she-s-told-herself-don-t-think-about/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [This was what it meant to be human, to know that time moved and all things changed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/this-was-what-it-meant-to-be-human-to-know-that-time-moved-and-all/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [“She preferred cats to human beings and turned down every offer from the men who fell in love with her.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/she-preferred-cats-to-human-beings-and-turned-down-every-offer-from/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [I'm a really eclectic reader.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/i-m-a-really-eclectic-reader/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [It's not the lie that's the problem; it's the distance the lie forges between you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/it-s-not-the-lie-that-s-the-problem-it-s-the-distance-the-lie-forges/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [“Her vision was going, but she could see him, the way people see clouds-beautiful, racing by, casting shadows.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/her-vision-was-going-but-she-could-see-him-the-way-people-see-clouds/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [That's why there are ten gates to pass through before you reach the garden. If life were easy there would be one gate. There…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/that-s-why-there-are-ten-gates-to-pass-through-before-you-reach-the/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [“...the summer of the gypsy moths when all the trees in their yard were bare, the leaves chewed by caterpillars. You could hear crunching…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/the-summer-of-the-gypsy-moths-when-all-the-trees-in-their-yard-were/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [“The best way to die is when you're living.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/the-best-way-to-die-is-when-you-re-living/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [“Haylin was given a good talking-to by the headmaster and made to write a paper about workers’ rights, which he considered a privilege rather…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/haylin-was-given-a-good-talking-to-by-the-headmaster-and-made-to/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [My darling girl, when are you going to realize that being normal is not necessarily a virtue? It rather denotes a lack of courage."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/my-darling-girl-when-are-you-going-to-realize-that-being-normal-is/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) [Explore all 571 Alice Hoffman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) ## More Book quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [I don't think I have made as much of my life as I should have. I should have written more books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/i-don-t-think-i-have-made-as-much-of-my-life-as-i-should-have-i/) [Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/) > [Some books are not read in the right way because they have skipped a stage of opinion, assume a crystallization of information in society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/some-books-are-not-read-in-the-right-way-because-they-have-skipped-a/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [“People talk about books that write themselves, and it's a lie. Books don't write themselves. It takes thought and research and a backache and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/people-talk-about-books-that-write-themselves-and-it-s-a-lie-books/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [There are great books in this world and great worlds in books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bronte/there-are-great-books-in-this-world-and-great-worlds-in-books/) [Anne Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bronte/) > [The purpose of this book is to supply, in the form suitable for laymen, guidance in the adoption and execution of an investment policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/the-purpose-of-this-book-is-to-supply-in-the-form-suitable-for-laymen/) [Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/) > [But I think that of all the literature that I studied, the book that did more than any other to fire my enthusiasm was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kwame-nkrumah/but-i-think-that-of-all-the-literature-that-i-studied-the-book-that/) [Kwame Nkrumah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kwame-nkrumah/) > [It's amazing to see things that are suggested in the book fully developed and so brilliantly realized through the artistry of the designers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/it-s-amazing-to-see-things-that-are-suggested-in-the-book-fully/) [Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/) > [“But I’ve developed a great reputation for wisdom by ordering more books than I ever had time to read, and reading more books, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/but-i-ve-developed-a-great-reputation-for-wisdom-by-ordering-more/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) [Browse all 29,378 Book quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I read Betty Smith's \"A Tree Grows in Brooklyn,\" all of Shirley Jackson's books, which I loved.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Alice Hoffman" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/i-read-betty-smith-s-a-tree-grows-in-brooklyn-all-of-shirley-jackson/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Book" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/i-read-betty-smith-s-a-tree-grows-in-brooklyn-all-of-shirley-jackson/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/64b/alice-hoffman-427_book_i-read-betty-smith-s-a-tree-grows-in-bro_1393194.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/64b/alice-hoffman-427_book_i-read-betty-smith-s-a-tree-grows-in-bro_1393194.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/64b/alice-hoffman-427_book_i-read-betty-smith-s-a-tree-grows-in-bro_1393194.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I read Betty Smith's \"A Tree Grows in Brooklyn,\" all of Shirley Jackson's books, which I loved.” — Alice Hoffman", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Alice Hoffman", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I read Betty Smith's \"A Tree...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/i-read-betty-smith-s-a-tree-grows-in-brooklyn-all-of-shirley-jackson/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/i-read-betty-smith-s-a-tree-grows-in-brooklyn-all-of-shirley-jackson/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```