The Girl Who Fell from the Sky, Heidi W. Durrow
The Girl Who Fell from the Sky, Heidi W. Durrow
3 Rating(s)
List: $20.97 | Sale: $14.68
Club: $10.48

The Girl Who Fell from the Sky

Author: Heidi W. Durrow

Narrator: Emily Bauer, Kathleen McInerney, Karen Murray

Unabridged: 6 hr 57 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 02/10/2010

Categories: Fiction


Synopsis

A timely and moving bicultural coming-of-age tale, based on a true story and told by an author who has struggled with the same issues as her protagonist.

The daughter of a Danish immigrant and a black G.I., Rachel survives a family tragedy only to face new challenges. Sent to live with her strict African-American grandmother in a racially divided Northwest city, she must suppress her grief and reinvent herself in a mostly black community. A beauty with light brown skin and blue eyes, she attracts much attention in her new home. The world wants to see her as either black or white, but that’s not how she sees herself.

Meanwhile, a mystery unfolds, revealing the terrible truth about Rachel’s last morning on a Chicago rooftop. Interwoven with her voice are those of Jamie, a neighborhood boy who witnessed the events, and Laronne, a friend of Rachel’s mother. Inspired by a true story of a mother’s twisted love, The Girl Who Fell from the Sky reveals an unfathomable past and explores issues of identity at a time when many people are asking “Must race confine us and define us?”

Narrated by an ensemble, with Emily Bauer (Rachel), Kathleen McInerney (Nella), and Karen Murray (Jamie, LaRone, Brick, Roger).

Reviews

Goodreads review by Connie on April 07, 2010

It's been 3 days since I finished this book and I can't get it out of my head. The tragedy involving the main character is devastating and just when I thought I was sure that I knew what really happened, more details came out to make me question the event and the motivations behind it. Separate from......more

Goodreads review by Karen on February 20, 2010

You must read this book. You must. Last night I went to Powell’s Bookstore to hear Heidi Durrow talk about her debut novel, “The Girl Who Fell From The Sky”. It was the first time in three years that I cried in front of strangers. And it was because I identified with the character Rachel. Not the sto......more

Goodreads review by Brittany on September 20, 2024

I'm not sure how this book found its way into my life, but I am glad it did. I didn't know anything about it before starting and didn't realize it had won any award until about a third of the way through when I was talking about it. Rachel, a young, lost, hurting mixed-race girl (Danish/African Ameri......more

Goodreads review by Jae on January 05, 2013

I think I forgot a cardinal rule of finding a good book: never pick up the one that is stuffed with pages of critical acclaim... I just didn't get it. Obviously Durrow can write - somehow I keep finding books that are extremely readable but ultimately disappointing. She has ability, and here she eve......more