The Girl Who Fell From the Sky
by Heidi W. Durrow
★★★
Rachel is a young bi-racial girl with a Danish mother and African-American father. She grew up never being persecuted for her race and never knowing she was “different” from anyone else. At age 11, she’s sent to live with her grandma in Portland, OR after a family tragedy leaves her on her own. Suddenly her race is very important to the people around her and she has to come to terms with that.
This book didn’t work for me. It’s not bad and I’ve heard some rave reviews, but I just couldn’t connect. The rotating narrative was a bit confusing. First Rachel is telling the story, then her old neighbor Brick, then her mother’s friend Laronne, etc. There’s was a lot going on, but there was little resolved. The book is well-written and deals with some important issues, it just felt hollow for me.
Here’s another opinion at Hey Lady! Whatcha Readin’?
