A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

Yes, in large part. Betty Smith drew heavily on her own childhood growing up poor in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, in the early 1900s, and the novel is widely described as semi-autobiographical. Smith began the material as a nonfiction piece before reworking it into a novel for a 1943 Harper & Brothers writing contest.

No. It's a common misconception, but the Pulitzer Prize for the Novel was not awarded at all in 1944, the year after the book's publication, and A Tree Grows in Brooklyn was not a recipient of any major literary prize. Its reputation rests on its sales (nearly 3 million copies in its first two years) and its enduring popularity rather than an award.