Brain Snacks: Tasty Tidbits of Knowledge
Betty Smith didn’t write this in Brooklyn. Nope—she moved to North Carolina in the 1930s to work at the University of North Carolina, and this is where she started writing A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. (Source.)
Ailanthus Altissima is the technical name for the Tree of Heaven. Many consider it a nasty weed and it’s even banned in several states. (Source.)
Do you want to go see the tree that grew in Francie’s backyard? Too bad. They only live for about fifty years, so you are out of luck. Even the ailanthus tree that Betty Smith planted at her home in Chapel Hill, North Carolina (where she lived her adult life and where she is buried) wouldn’t be around today. (Source.)
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn was made into a successful Broadway musical. (Source.)