Books with author Betty Smith

In Brooklyn, New York, in 1927, Carl Brown and Annie McGairy meet and fall in love. Though only eighteen, Annie travels alone to the Midwestern university where Carl is studying law to marry him. Little did they know how difficult their first year of marriage would be, in a faraway place with little money and few friends. But Carl and Annie come to realize that the struggles and uncertainty of poverty and hardship can be overcome by the strength of a loving, loyal relationship. An unsentimental yet uplifting story, Joy in the Morning is a timeless and radiant novel of marriage and young love.

Francie Nolan is a character who will long be remembered by anyone who reads "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn." Bright but lonely, poor but resourceful, Francie Nolan is captured from ages 11 to 16 with poignancy and love. Francie is her daddy's "prima donna" and she treasures his love while fighting to win her mother's. Although she never achieves the place in her mother's heart that her brother holds, her strength and sheer perserverance guide her through difficult times. Like the sturdy tree that grows outside her window and survives all catastrophes, Francie Nolan survives poverty, lack of formal education, sexual assault, extreme loneliness, and lost love. The reader first meets Francie at age 11 when, as an inquisitive young girl, her favorite time of the day is on Saturday when she can go to the library then rush home with her treasure and read the afternoon away on the fire escape of her Brooklyn tenement. As a young girl, she feels "rich" when she receives bits of chalk and stubby pencils her mother and father bring home from their janitoring job at a local school. She finds simple pleasures in her life, like being allowed to sleep in the front room on Saturday night and watch the busy street below. You will ache to go back in time and be Francie's best friend as she battles loneliness and rejection by her peers but learns to live a solitary life. But, like the tree, she is ready to burst into bloom and when she does it is beautiful to read about. This book is a wonderful description of life in turn-of-the-century Brooklyn and a strong statement on the hope offered to the immigrants who came to the United States. The story emphasizes quite clearly the value of reading and a good education, but most importantly the strength of family and the dreams that sustain people. As Francie learns, "there had to be the dark and muddy waters so that the sun could have something to background it flashing glory.

Simplify Life By Being MinimalistWe all have habits in our lives. Unfortunately, most of our habits are unconscious and they dont serve us. This leads us to feel overwhelmed and out of control. Sometimes it feels like anxiety and stress seems to come out of nowhere. The modern world is making people feel overwhelmed and exhausted. But how can we take back and feel more happiness every day?This book is about using minimalist ideas to help you identify areas in your life that are working against you. This book will also walk you through the process to best use minimalism in your life to simplify and improve every area.We are all unique and that is why its important for you to put your own spin on minimalist ideas. We have a chapter in this book that will help you do just that. You will be guided on how to make minimalism work for you in your unique situation. We will build a minimalist lifestyle around your way of living.The heart of this book is about changing your habits and making them simple and efficient.When you take control of your daily habits your life will transform and you feel in control. This book will help you be the one managing and controlling habits in all areas of your life.Let's Take a Look Inside This Book...Defining Minimalism: What It All Boils Down ToHow To Use Minimalism To Improve All Areas of Your LifeHow To Adopt a Minimalist LifestyleFinding Your Minimalism StyleMinimalist Habits In All Areas Of LifeTake control of your life and start enjoying every day. Minimalism will be your guide to take back your control and take back your freedom. Simplify your life starting today!

A timeless classic is reborn! From Betty Smith—author of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, one of the most beloved novels of the past century—comes an unsentimental yet radiant and powerfully uplifting tale of young hearts and marriage. In 1927, in Brooklyn, New York, Carl Brown and Annie McGairy meet and fall in love. Though only eighteen, Annie travels alone halfway across the country to the Midwestern university where Carl is studying law—and there they marry. But their first year together is much more difficult than they anticipated, in a faraway place with little money and few friends. With hardship and poverty weighing heavily upon them, Annie and Carl come to realize that their greatest sources of strength, loyalty and love, will help them make it through.