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Title details for The Girl Who Fell from the Sky by Heidi W. Durrow - Available

The Girl Who Fell from the Sky

by Heidi W. Durrow
Emily Bauer
Audiobook
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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).

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    February 10, 2010

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9781598879377
      • File size: 200256 KB
      • Duration: 06:57:11

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • AudioFile Magazine
      The first surprise of this novel may that its title is no metaphor: Young Rachel really falls from the sky, plunging from a city rooftop with her mother and two siblings. The sole survivor, Rachel must move on from unthinkable loss to understanding who she is as the child of mixed-race parentage--while those around her demand that she identify with either her Danish mother or her African-American father. The aftermath of the devastating fall raises questions about race, identity, responsibility, and love. Narrators Karen Murray, Emily Bauer, and Kathleen McInerney tell this harrowing tale with exceptional beauty, thanks, in part, to Durrow's artful prose. The gentleness with which the performers, particularly Bauer, as sweet-voiced Rachel, unfold the events is remarkable. These voices give a heartrending story its heart. L.B.F. (c) AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine
    • Publisher's Weekly

      October 19, 2009
      Durrow's debut draws from her own upbringing as the brown-skinned, blue-eyed daughter of a Danish woman and a black G.I. to create Rachel Morse, a young girl with an identical heritage growing up in the early 1980s. After a devastating family tragedy in Chicago with Rachel the only survivor, she goes to live with the paternal grandmother she's never met, in a decidedly black neighborhood in Portland, Ore. Suddenly, at 11, Rachel is in a world that demands her to be either white or black. As she struggles with her grief and the haunting, yet-to-be-revealed truth of the tragedy, her appearance and intelligence place her under constant scrutiny. Laronne, Rachel's deceased mother's employer, and Brick, a young boy who witnessed the tragedy and because of his personal misfortunes is drawn into Rachel's world, help piece together the puzzle of Rachel's family. Taut prose, a controversial conclusion and the thoughtful reflection on racism and racial identity resonate without treading into political or even overtly specific agenda waters, as the story succeeds as both a modern coming-of-age and relevant social commentary.

    • Library Journal

      June 15, 2010

      After a horrific family tragedy claims the lives of her mother and two siblings, 11-year-old Rachel suddenly finds herself living in racially divided 1980s Portland, OR, where life for the biracial girl seems utterly foreign, confusing, and cruel. Part tragedy, part mystery, and part coming-of-age tale, Durrow's (heidiwdurrow.com) 2008 Bellwether Prize-winning debut novel slowly unfurls from several carefully intertwined perspectives. The characters are drawn so vividly and portrayed so well by the narrators--Karen Murray, Emily Bauer, and Kathleen McInerney--that their voices will continue to resonate long after the book is done. A solid hit; strongly recommended. [Audio clip available through www.highbridgeaudio.com; said to be similar to Graham Swift's Waterland and Jean Rhys's Wide Sargasso Sea, the Algonquin hc was recommended "for readers intrigued by the psychology behind shocking headlines," LJ 10/15/09.--Ed.]--Valerie Piechocki, Prince George's Cty. Memorial Lib., Largo, MD

      Copyright 2010 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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