From the Library: Let's Discuss A Tree Grows in Brooklyn Next Friday!

Next up for the Bitch YA Book Club is A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith. If you're like me, you've been meaning to read this book since high school, and you're thrilled to finally have an excuse to do so. We'll be discussing Francie's coming-of-age story right here on the blog on Friday, August 5th.

Nona Willis Aronowitz will be asking Erin Blakemore, Jennie Law, Ellen Papazian, Jessica Stites, and YOU to share thoughts on the book. Interested in joining in? No need to sign up! Just read the book and look for the blog post on Friday, August 5th. We can't wait to discuss A Tree Grows in Brooklyn book with you!

Meet our panel:

Erin Blakemore learned to drool over Darcy and cry over Little Women in suburban San Diego, California. These days, her inner heroine loves roller derby, running her own business, and hiking in her adopted hometown of Boulder, Colorado. Erin's debut book, The Heroine's Bookshelf, was published by HarperCollins in October.

Jennie Law is a feminist children's librarian in Decatur, GA. She's also a member of the Amelia Bloomer Project (Feminist Books for Young Readers) under the Feminist Task Force of the Social Responsibilities Round Table of the American Library Association. She spends her free time challenging the patriarchy, hanging out with Butler (her Russian Tortoise), reading, tap dancing, and writing in rhyme.

Ellen Papazian is a writer and teacher. Her work has appeared in the anthologies About Face: Women Write about What They See When They Look in the Mirror and The Long Meanwhile: Stories of Arrival and Departure, and Bitch, including the Page Turner book blog. She leads creative writing workshops for young people and senior citizens. She gifts her babysitters with Weetzie Bat and her niece with Pippi. Learn more about Ellen here.

Jessica Stites is a Ms. editor and a bookworm. Her recent Ms. article “Kick Ass Girls and Feminist Boys” explores race and gender in today’s young-adult-fiction boom. When she’s not reading or editing—and the blinds are drawn—she enjoys pretending to be Anne of Green Gables pretending to be The Lady of Shalott. Join her feminist-YA conversation here.

Nona Willis Aronowitz is a 26-year-old multimedia journalist and cultural critic. She has written about women, sex, politics, music, and youth culture for numerous publications including The Nation, The Village Voice, Salon, Slate, and BUST. She is the author of Girldrive: Criss-crossing America, Redefining Feminism. Nona is currently a contributing producer at public radio's All Things Considered and Morning Edition in New York City, and feminist-blogs in her free time.