Indestructible waterproof material: You will never need another bookmark again, waterproof, tear resistant, will last forever as long as you use it as a bookmark. Unique Design: Each bookmark celebrates a classic novel and their author. Size: 7 x 2 inches, not too big for the smallest paperback, not too small for the biggest hardcover. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is a semi-autobiographical 1943 novel written by Betty Smith. The story focuses on an impoverished but aspirational adolescent girl and her family living in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, New York City, during the first two decades of the 20th century. The book was an immense success.