A timely and moving bicultural coming-of-age tale about the daughter of a Danish immigrant and a black G.I. A beauty with light brown skin and blue eyes, she attracts much attention in her new home. The world wants to see her as either black or white, but that's not how she sees herself. Meanwhile, a mystery unfolds, revealing the terrible truth about Rachel's last morning on a Chicago rooftop. Interwoven with her voice are those 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?" Winner of the 2008 Bellwether Prize for Fiction, established by Barbara Kingsolver and awarded in even-numbered years. The Bellwether Prize is the only major North American prize that specifically advocates literary fiction addressing issues of social justice. The prize is awarded to a previously unpublished novel representing excellence in this genre.