The Girl Who Fell From the Sky, by Heidi W. Durrow, is a very uncommon story. I found the book easy to read in the sense that the prose is comfortable and natural. On the other hand, it was difficult for me to capture the characters and their relationship with each other
…more during the first 50 pages. After that, I became awed by the struggle that occurred as daily events to the young protagonist, Rachel. While reading the book, both the “tragedy” and the “reality of Rachel” seemed to me to be fabricated. Much to my surprise (after hearing an interview with Ms. Durrow on NPR All Things Considered on March 2, 2010) I learned that both of these aspects of the book are based on true experiences. The story of the tragedy (which is unveiled gradually throughout the chapters) and its aftermath was interesting to me from a philosophical perspective and is based on a true story. The story of Rachel’s youth was otherwise and was actually autobiographical. In my opinion and more importantly than it being based on reality, the story of Rachel, herself, is what caused my compulsion to complete the book. How often are we told that people are people even if they are of different races or from different cultures? Yet, how seldom do we have the opportunity to learn about the inner experiences of a soul who is in fact bi-racial? In summary, I want to give Ms. Durrow the highest of praise…she made me look inside myself. (less)
