Stephanie Coontz: How much do you think people remember? And how much do you care? She asks, in the digital era where we all have access to so much information. So what that book meant to you? I remember that i was a young girl when i read a tree gros in brooklyn and felt some communality with the protagonist. It's like the chef who spends eight hours on a meal and then it's eaten in 15 minutes. He says he used to care a little bit more. But yes, as a writer, i figure it's my job to write, is to read and then to forget.