Happy Wednesday, friends!
I’ve been looking forward to this for a long while, and I’m so pleased to know that several of you have been as well! A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is one of my favorite books, and I thought it would be a great first read for this community because, as Anna Quindlen describes, it’s “a story about what it means to be human.” One of the aims for Viriditas is to increase our awareness of and language for the spiritual experiences of our lives, and I think the story of Francie’s life provides an excellent opportunity to do this.
The book is a coming-of-age tale and it begins in Williamsburg, New York in 1912. This is not necessarily a pretty story; Francie faces more than her share of hardship as she navigates her family’s life of poverty, their status as immigrants, and all of the typical things that come along with young adulthood. Though the book is set over 100 years ago there is something timeless and universal about the nature of challenges faced and how Francie endures them.
Though few of us can relate with her exact circumstances, this book has earned its status as a ‘classic’ because of how readers can see themselves in her feelings, her understanding of the world around her, and her ability to grow like the tree referenced in the title: “No matter where its seed fell, it made a tree which struggled to reach the sky. It grew in boarded-up lots and out of neglected rubbish heaps and it was the only tree that grew out of cement. It grew lushly, but only in the tenements districts… That was the kind of tree it was.”
My hope for you and us as we read this together is that we will grow in our awareness of the spiritual experiences of our lives, and how these are a part of what makes us who we are. I am eager to share my observations with you, and I hope you’ll share yours with me!
A few facts about the book:
It is semi-autobiographical. Betty Smith was born in Williamsburg to first generation immigrants. One of the tenements in which her family resided served as inspiration for the book.
During WW2, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn was one of the most requested titles by armed service members.
One of my other favorite books, The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls, has a reference where one of the characters is inspired by Francie Nolan. I didn’t remember that until recently, but thematically it makes a lot of sense!
I’d like to suggest that we read the book with an eye for spirituality as defined by Dr Rebecca Nye, who is a leading scholar in the area of childhood spirituality. This seems fitting since Francie is a child, and I think Nye’s definition provides a lovely framework within which to recognise and explore our own spiritual identities. She defines spirituality as relational consciousness:
Children’s spirituality is an initially natural capacity for awareness of the sacred quality to life experiences. This awareness can be conscious or unconscious, and sometimes fluctuates between both, but in both cases can affect actions, feelings and thoughts. In childhood, spirituality is especially about being attached towards ‘being in relation’, responding to a call to relate to more than ‘just me’ - i.e. to others, to God, to creation or to a deeper inner sense of Self.
Children’s Spirituality: What it is and Why it Matters by Rebecca Nye
As you read, I invite you to consider how Francie’s spirituality is recognised and expressed:
Where do you see Francie’s awareness of' ‘the sacred quality to [her] life experiences’? Where do you notice her relationship with herself, with others, with her environment, and/or a transcendent presence?
Something else I’d encourage you to be mindful of as you go (and we’ll spend some more time on this theme later) is: I wonder where I see myself in this story?
As I’ve been reading it again, I’ve kept a note with columns for each of these four areas (self, others, environment, transcendent) and I’ve just been making little lists each time I am struck by the impact of one of these things on Francie. Perhaps that is a method that would work for you. It makes me think of the reading comprehension exercises I did in grade school when I always noticed more in the reading if I read the questions first. You might find that keeping these categories handy will help increase your awareness of these as you read.
Here is the schedule we’ll follow for discussion. I know for some it will be impossible to read it this slowly, and for others it won’t be slow enough. That’s okay. There is space here for you, however you would like to engage.
June 9 - Chs 1-6
June 16 - Chs 7-9
June 23 - Chs 10-14
June 30 - Chs 15-22
July 7 - Chs 23-26
July 14 - Chs 27-32
June 21 - Chs 33-38
June 28 - Chs 39-42
Aug 4 - Chs 43-49
Aug 11 - Chs 50-56
I really don’t want this to feel like homework, or a stiff set of rules to follow! Rather think of it like a lens through which you can enjoy your summer reading. And feel free to bring your own lens for us to learn from, too. I also hope to throw in some fun topics along the way like links for historical deep dives and an opportunity to chat about New York, for any who are so inclined. (It’s as good a time as any for me to tell you that I adore NYC and it’s on my bucket list to live there one day.)
Each week you are very welcome to engage in discussion through the comments here on Substack or on Instagram where I will make a post with a brief summary of the weekly email.
Okay - let’s begin! For starters, please introduce yourselves to each other in the comments. Tell us your name, your ideal reading setting, and what you hope to discover as we read together this summer. I’ll share mine in the comments too.
Talk soon,
Janette x
Ok, so you already know my name and what I hope to discover as we read together, but I haven't shared my ideal reading setting. Only I'm going to cheat and give two settings - but that's okay. This is our place, we make the rules, we can give two settings if we want to.
1) The beach, in the shade of an umbrella, with my toes in the sand and my book getting all warped from the wind and saltwater. Yep, sorry, I'm one of those.
A more achievable reading setting is in a cafe with the right balance of background noise and a comfortable arm chair. It has to be cushy and the arms have to be padded too so that I can comfortably change positions as I read.
I'm Jonathan, and I live in Cambridge, UK. I'm very much a homebody, so my ideal reading spot would generally be at home, next to the bookcase. As much as I love open windows and to be able to see what's green and growing outside, I probably tend to want a more isolated and disconnected reading context. I find that if my view is too beautiful, I may end up thinking more about the natural horizon than the book! (In contrast to Janette, I like reading indoors because it ensures that my books will stay safe from the elements.)
I'm looking forward to reading this book for the first time, not least because someone in my family has been raving about it for some time now. I'm also interested in exploring the ways that Francie's spirituality might be seen in relation to her sense of place and the literal place(s?) where she grows up.