Pat welcomed us to book club with mimosas, fresh fruit, and a strata (made with bread and potatoes, of course!). We enjoyed sundaes at the end of our discussion - just like graduation!
She shared that the author was born in Brooklyn to German immigrants. Betty Smith married a man from Brooklyn. She won awards for her writing and published our book in 1943. This book was made into a movie. Betty Smith could not share if the story was a true story about her because her relatives were suing her about the book. She also wrote three other books, and Pat's favorite is Joy in the Morning.
We discussed the symbolism in the book. The tree was a symbol of hope when there was none, flourishing with very little resources, and being able to survive against the odds.
The perception of poverty was also discussed with a dialogue about charity for those who need it, and those who work the system to get it. Many felt that it is not easy for those who are poor to get back on track and that, in the era of this book, it was shameful to take charity from others. Today, many are on food stamps, receive free lunches, and receive them with open arms. We discussed the occupation comparison that was shared in the Parade section of the newspaper on Sunday (4/15/12). Noticeably, many occupations are receiving less salary compared to years ago.
The emphasis that the book visits on education being the key to success was agreed upon by our group. Some shared that being on the welfare system passes from generation to generation. When educated like Francie, more doors open and success can be achieved.
Classes of people were truly shown in many ways throughout this book. The children were divided into the "have" and "have nots" at the first school that Francie attended, the doctor accused Francie and her brother as being "dirty," and the eraser girl spit in Francie's face.
Characters Reviewed:
Francie: good reader, survivor, very protective of her family, insightful, naive when it came to boyfriends, wise beyond her years, hard worker.
Papa: impulsive, supporter of Francie (new school, flowers at her graduation), self-centered, alcoholic, sensitive, schmoozer, what was he thinking with the fishing trip (sunburn)?!
Mama: driven to keep family together, hard worker (on wedding day and day of labor), harsh at times and sensitive at other times, liked Neely better than Francie, sensible and practical.
Sissy: worker in the rubber toy factory (condoms - thank you Stacy!), promiscuous, called all her "men" John, yearned for children, loved Francie and Neely, good sister.
The book was rated fairly highly with a lot of 8s.
Link to biography of Betty Smith: http://web.njit.edu/~cjohnson/tree/bio/bio.htm
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