Prof KRG

A practical resource for all writers.

  • Writing
    • Quotables
    • Nerd Notes
  • Leadership
    • Pub Manual 101 Series
  • Mental Health
  • Readings
    • Prof KRG’s Bookstore
    • Nonfiction
    • Fiction
    • 2023 Reading List
    • 2022 Reading List
    • 2021 Reading List
    • 2020 Reading List
    • 2019 Reading List
    • 2018 Reading List
    • 2017 Reading List
    • 2016 Reading List
    • 2015 Reading List
    • 2014 Reading List
    • 2013 Reading List
    • Blogs Worth Reading
    • Podcasts Worth Hearing

Book Review: The Girl Who Fell From the Sky #100Books

September 26, 2013 by Kenna Griffin

Rachel Morse hasn’t felt like she fit in since she was sent to Portland to live with her paternal grandmother. The girl was forced to move after her mother and two siblings plunged to their deaths from a Chicago rooftop.

uk-coverRachel discovers race while learning that “black people don’t have blue eyes,” although she is and she does.

Rachel’s struggle to find her place in her new home and to understand the tragedy that put her there is the subject of Heidi Durrow’s book, The Girl Who Fell From the Sky.

Before moving to Oregon, Rachel didn’t realize that her blue eyes and brown skin mattered to other people. After the move, she begins to understand that many people use race as a basis for their expectations of others. This leaves the already traumatized girl confused about where she fits in and how she should behave in the mostly black community where she and her grandmother live.

As she struggles through her youth, Rachel and the reader begin to understand the tragedy that resulted in her current life circumstances. The reader also begins to understand the unusual ways that the book’s characters’ lives always have been connected.

Overall, I enjoyed the book and the unique perspective of race and cultural stereotypes through the eyes of a girl trying to find her place. The mystery of how and why Rachel’s family died also added to my interest in the storyline.

Related Posts:

  • My 28 Favorite Fiction Books of 2021
    My 28 Favorite Fiction Books of 2021
  • My 37 Favorite Fiction Books of 2020
    My 37 Favorite Fiction Books of 2020
  • My 32 Favorite Fiction Books of 2022
    My 32 Favorite Fiction Books of 2022
Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above (typically those to books) may be “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. I promise that I only recommend products or services I use personally and think will provide you value. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Subscribe

Connect

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter

Prof KRG

Prof KRG aims to create an ongoing educational dialogue among media professionals, students and educators.

Please let me know what resources you need or topics you wish you better understood. If I don't know the information, I'm happy to seek out someone who does.

Contact me via email at kennagriffin@gmail.com.

Quotables

Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right.

— Henry Ford

About Kenna Griffin

I am a mass communications professor, journalist and collegiate media adviser. I teach classes including those on writing, reporting, media law, media ethics, social media marketing, and public relations. I am married, have two children and live in Oklahoma. More about this site's purpose

The archive

Prof KRG Insider

  • About
  • Contact
  • My Toolbox

Copyright© 2023, Kenna Griffin