Betty Smith, born Elisabeth Lillian Wehner, was an American playwright and novelist famed for her bestseller A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1943). Betty Smith was born on December 15, 1896, in Brooklyn, New York. She grew up in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, in a poor family of German immigrants. Her early life experiences significantly influenced her writing.

She was married to George H. E. Smith, who was also from Brooklyn. The couple relocated to Ann Arbor, Michigan, where George pursued a law degree at the University of Michigan. During this time, Betty gave birth to two daughters and later attended the university, although she had not completed high school.

Prior to her success as a novelist, Betty Smith was a renowned playwright. She wrote several popular plays, often collaborating with her third and final husband, Robert (Bob) Finch. Her literary works extend beyond her four celebrated novels, which include 'Tomorrow Will Be Better' (1947), 'Maggie-Now' (1958), and 'Joy in the Morning' (1963), both of which were also adapted into films.