Pg. 69: Heidi W. Durrow's "The Girl Who Fell From the Sky"

The current feature at the Page 69 Test: The Girl Who Fell from the Sky by Heidi W. Durrow.

About the book, from the publisher:

This debut novel tells the story of Rachel, the daughter of a Danish mother and a black G.I. who becomes the sole survivor of a family tragedy.

With her strict African American grandmother as her new guardian, Rachel moves to a mostly black community, where her light brown skin, blue eyes, and beauty bring mixed attention her way. Growing up in the 1980s, she learns to swallow her overwhelming grief and confronts her identity as a biracial young woman in a world that wants to see her as either black or white.

In the tradition of Jamaica Kincaid's Annie John and Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye, here is a portrait of a young girl— and society's ideas of race, class, and beauty. It is the winner of the Bellwether Prize for best fiction manuscript addressing issues of social justice.

Read an excerpt from The Girl Who Fell From the Sky, and learn more about the book and author at Heidi W. Durrow's website.

The Page 69 Test: The Girl Who Fell from the Sky.

--Marshal Zeringue