#11 A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith

In this saga about the Nolan family in early 1900s Brooklyn, we see Williamsburg through young Francie’s eyes, though her mother Katie is the powerhouse of the story. One Christmas, Francie, her brother, Neely, and Johnny, her father, are bringing a tree up the stairs of their building. Katie is standing at the top of the stairs, thinking about how they think this is a good time, but the building stinks, the people in it are no good and everyone is poor.  Education is the only way out, Katie decides. Francie already knows this and uses her hard earned education to claw her way out of poverty, into a better life.