FlexiLingo
Episode 60 - A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
- Conversation
- Arts & culture
Williamsburg has changed enormously since Betty Smith published "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" in 1943. But a trio of DC readers tell host Kitty Felde that they find contemporary themes - the chasm between rich and poor, the rise of the #MeToo movement - in the novel. Nancy Smith Pfeiffer, the 95 year old daughter of Betty Smith, tells us about rushing home from school to read the latest pages of the novel, hot off her mother's typewriter. Actress Sonia Manzano (Maria from "Sesame Street") is celebrity reader since the book is her favorite.
Opens the player: the full transcript, every word clickable, with translation and flashcards.
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. . . .
Hi, I'm Kitty Felde. This week we discuss a book that has been a favorite of readers for 75 years.
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Is this episode right for you?
B1 · Intermediate
Fine if you can follow simple news
- 87% of the words are B1 or easier.
- 155 words a minute: a natural pace.
- 50 harder words (B2 and up) in the whole episode.
Transcript
The opening of the episode. The whole transcript is in the player.
harder words (B2+)
It's the Book Club for Kids. The Book Club for Kids. It's the Book Club for Kids. It's the Book Club for Kids podcast. Hi, I'm Kitty Felde. This week we discuss a book that has been a favorite of readers for 75 years. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith. Our readers from Washington, D.C. say this tale of of a second generation immigrant family in Brooklyn
is still powerful today. It makes you think of the things that you can do, things you have power to do, and it was life changing. It's also a tale of a daughter's love for her father.
He held his worn derby over his heart, stood up straight looking up at the school and sang. School days, school days, dear old golden rule days. That's our celebrity reader,
That was the opening. The rest of the episode (23 min) is in the player: every word clickable, with translation, saved words and flashcards.
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