Heidi Durrow

 Heidi Durrow, a current Ragdale Scholar, will be speaking at a noontime luncheon about her Bellwether Prize-winning debut novel, "The Girl Who Fell from the Sky". It is 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.  Meanwhile, a mystery unfolds, revealing the terrible truth about Rachel's last morning on a Chicago rooftop. Interwoven are the voices of Jamie, a neighborhood boy who witnessed the events, and Laronne, a friend of Rachel's mother. Inspired by a true story of a mother's twisted love, The Girl Who Fell from the Sky reveals an unfathomable past and explores issues of identity at a time when many people are asking "Must race confine us and define us?"

Tuesday, April 6, 12:00 p.m.
	at Avli