Books with author Burton Smith

The American classic about a young girl's coming-of-age at the turn of the century. From the moment she entered the world, Francie needed to be made of stern stuff, for the often harsh life of Williamsburg demanded fortitude, precocity, and strength of spirit. Often scorned by neighbors for her family’s erratic and eccentric behavior-such as her father Johnny’s taste for alcohol and Aunt Sissy’s habit of marrying serially without the formality of divorce-no one, least of all Francie, could say that the Nolans’ life lacked drama. By turns overwhelming, sublime, heartbreaking, and uplifting, the Nolans’ daily experiences are tenderly threaded with family connectedness and raw with honesty. Betty Smith has, in the pages of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, captured the joys of humble Williamsburg life-from “junk day” on Saturdays, when the children of Francie’s neighborhood traded their weekly take for pennies, to the special excitement of holidays, bringing cause for celebration and revelry. Betty Smith has artfully caught this sense of exciting life in a novel of childhood, replete with incredibly rich moments of universal experiences--a truly remarkable achievement for any writer.

It all starts with the football David Taylor receives on his twelfth birthday. With a poorly placed punt he breaks the television antennae off the roof of cranky Mr. Kerr’s house. David is torn. On the one hand he is in the biggest trouble he has ever been in. On the other hand David is excited to be right where he is, fascinated by some unique stones that Mr. Kerr has on his coffee table. For a punishment, Mr. Kerr decides to hold the football hostage until David can earn it back by providing a Twelve Days of Christmas surprise for a new family in town. He also tells David that the stones are meteorites and that he can earn one if he does a good job on the assignment. When David dives into the project he hopes to earn back his football and one of the fascinating meteorites. When the assignment is complete it is no longer about a football or even a coveted meteorite. The one-person, discreet assignment evolves into a big project that draws a community together, forever changes the lives of a family in need, teaches some boys important life lessons and forges lasting friendships.

Do you know how to get a job? How to make a budget so you keep your money from said job? Do you even know what a credit report is, and why it's so important? If you were like me when I first graduated from high school (or college, for that matter), then the answer is probably "Heck nah." Don't worry, you are not alone. So, why don't you know this stuff? It's probably because high school seems to think it's more important to know the periodic table over basic financial skills. Yeah, right. That's where this book comes in to save your poor lost soul. It teaches you the basics you need to know in order to be considered a financially responsible "adult." You'll thank me later.

A moving coming-of-age story set in the 1900's, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn follows the lives of 11-year-old Francie Nolan, her younger brother Neely, and their parents, Irish immigrants who have settled in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn. Johnny Nolan is as loving and fanciful as they come, but he is also often drunk and out of work, unable to find his place in the land of opportunity. His wife Katie scrubs floors to put food on the table and clothes on her childrens' backs, instilling in them the values of being practical and planning ahead.When Johnny dies, leaving Katie pregnant, Francie, smart, pensive and hoping for something better, cannot believe that life can carry on as before. But with her own determination, and that of her mother behind her, Francie is able to move toward the future of her dreams, completing her education and heading oft to college, always carrying the beloved Brooklyn of her childhood in her heart.

Do you know how to get a job? How to make a budget so you keep your money from said job? Do you even know what a credit report is, and why it's so important? If you were like me when I first graduated from high school (or college, for that matter), then the answer is probably "Heck nah." Don't worry, you are not alone. So, why don't you know this stuff? It's probably because high school seems to think it's more important to know the periodic table over basic financial skills. Yeah, right. That's where this book comes in to save your poor lost soul. It teaches you the basics you need to know in order to be considered a financially responsible "adult." You'll thank me later.