B. Smith

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

ella

From that time on, the world was hers for the reading. She would never be lonely again, never miss the lack of intimate friends. Books became her friends and there was one for every mood. There was poetry for quiet companionship. There was adventure when she tired of quiet hours. There would be love stories when she came into adolescence and when she wanted to feel a closeness to someone she could read a biography. On that day when she first knew she could read, she made a vow to read one book a day as long as she lived.

She pressed her hand over her heart trying to feel a jagged edge under the flesh.

Joe Ricupero

"I need someone," thought Francie desperately "I need someone. I need to hold somebody close. And I need more than this holding. I need someone to understand how I feel at a time like now. And the understanding must be part of the holding. 

"Brooklyn. It's a magic city and it isn't real." 

"It's just like any other place." "It isn't! I go to New York every day and New York's not the same. I went to Bayonne once to see a girl from the office who was home, sick. And Bayonne isn't the same. It's mysterious here in Brooklyn. It's like — yes — like a dream. The houses and streets don't seem real. Neither do the people "

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