Please join Elise Barack for a discussion of The Girl Who Fell from the Sky by Heidi Durrow Thursday, April 7 at 7:15 pm in the Lake Forest Library’s programming room.Inspired by an actual event, Durrow’s debut novel is an exploration of race, identity, and racism. It tells the story of Rachel, the daughter of a white Danish mother and a black American G.I. In the early 1980s she becomes the sole survivor of a family tragedy after her mother throws herself, Rachel, and two other children off the rooftop of their Chicago home.
Afterwards Rachel is sent to live with her paternal grandmother in a black neighborhood in Portland, Oregon where her light skin and blue eyes make her the subject of constant scrutiny. Rachel relies on her inner strength and intelligence as she faces these new challenges and grows into her own. The Girl Who Fell from the Sky is the winner of the 2008 Bellwether Prize for best fiction manuscript addressing issues of social justice. Critics have called Durrow’s writing “compact” and “taut,” and have recommended her provocative book with its controversial conclusion to readers interested in contemporary social issues.
Afterwards Rachel is sent to live with her paternal grandmother in a black neighborhood in Portland, Oregon where her light skin and blue eyes make her the subject of constant scrutiny. Rachel relies on her inner strength and intelligence as she faces these new challenges and grows into her own. The Girl Who Fell from the Sky is the winner of the 2008 Bellwether Prize for best fiction manuscript addressing issues of social justice. Critics have called Durrow’s writing “compact” and “taut,” and have recommended her provocative book with its controversial conclusion to readers interested in contemporary social issues.
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