Welcome to your online discussion of The Girl Who Fell From the Sky!
Together with members of your book group, you’ll be reading The Girl Who Fell From the Sky by Heidi W. Durrow over the next several weeks. Although you're not required to take notes while you read, it would be wise to keep track of important events and characters for your own clarification. You are, however, expected to participate regularly and thoughtfully in an online discussion of FOUR essential questions.
Here's how it works:
Divide your book roughly in half. You need to have read and blogged about each half by the due dates below.
There are two kinds of posts in this discussion: response and comment.
Response = direct response to the essential questions
Comment = comment on someone else’s posted response or comment
Post at least THREE responses for each half of your book (SIX overall).
You must respond at least once to each of the essential questions over the course of your reading. One of your six responses can be a “free-response" post.
Post at least THREE comments for each section of your book (SIX overall).
Due dates:
- Post your first set of responses and comments by Monday, May 20 (Blue 2), and Tuesday, May 21 (Red 2).
- Post your second set of responses and comments by Thursday, May 30 (Red 2), and Friday, May 31 (Blue 2).
- How does prejudice affect the lives of young people growing up?
- How and why are people prejudiced?
- How are justice & courage related?
- In what ways does this book refute the notion of the “single story”?
** Free-response option: Address another issue/episode/or passage in the book that you find significant for any reason.
Assessment:
To earn maximum credit, post thoughtful responses that are at least a few sentences in length—and carefully proofread! Do not misspell characters' or authors’ names! Also, be sure to include specific references to the text (either details or short quotations). Page numbers, too, are always helpful.
I think that it is quite unfortunate that Rachel feels like she doesn't fit in because of her skin tone. She's mixed so she doesn't really fit in with either race in her class she feels like. This reminds me of Dolphus's children in TKAM.
ReplyDeleteto elaborate; other children might be prejudiced toward her because of her looks. They don't want to be friends with her because of her skin tone (and her attractiveness). Because of this she might feel left out or discriminated. This is surprising because this book is more modern, it would be more expected in a book like TKAM because of its setting and time.
DeleteThis was Amy.
DeleteThats a good point relating to TKAM but like Amy said it was different times where blacks were heavily discriminated but Rachel is being made fun of by the black kids in her school even though she could be considered black. I think shes getting made fun of also because shes new.
DeleteI think Rachel has a lot of courage to go to a new school its not easy. She just went through a horrible experience that has scared her and now she has to deal with bullying. I also feel she is a little numb to the pain of bullying because of her past experiences yes she doesn't like the bullying but its not impacting her she stays strong and keeps her head up.
ReplyDeleteThis was Sydney
DeleteI completely agree with what you are saying. To elaborate on your post, I feel like bullying stays with through through your whole life (I know from past experiences) And this causes people to have anxiety about certain things that might remind people about the memory. Rachel, as you put it, is very courages to go to a new school knowing that she might face prejudice from the kids at school.
DeleteThough I agree Rachel is very courageous, I think she also understands the reality of things. Personally, while reading I thought Rachel might've started school so early as to distract herself from the undeniable sorrow and depression she is experiencing.
DeleteI haven't read yet
ReplyDeleteI'm only on page 40, but so far I'm really interested to see what happens with Jamie. He seems so naive, and seeing the bodies on the ground was a really coming of age situation for him. I also wonder if the birds are going to symbolize something else later because of the situation it was brought up in, and because he's calling the little boy bird boy. I also want to see how he develops within himself, because it seems that he's not very comfortable with who he is i.e the wanting a new name thing. The last thing I want to see is how things go with his mom, because from what the text has given me so far it seems that not only is she bringing home guys all the time, but some even abuse her. I wonder if she sells herself out or if she just meets these guys at bars.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you're wondering about the bird motif throughout the novel. It seems as though, in the first half, there's a great desire to see birds, even be birds. Even though they couldn't fly, I'm wondering if there's some way in which Nella and her children were like birds as they fell.
DeleteI just finished the book and it now makes more sense because it made me think of a mama bird pushing her chicks to fly by making them take the jump, and Rachel survived because she was the strongest of them all.
DeleteYeah, I also was very confused about the bird analogy. Jamie seeing the bodies on the ground in the alley and saying things like "Nests" and "Wings" seemed very odd. But then again it might just be a child trying to think their way through the situation. Also you are very correct about the "Coming of age" part.
DeleteI hadnt thought of it that way! I was also a bit confused when he used the bird analogy, but I think that it would make a lot of sense for him to use that coping method in a serious situation like that. As a young child, he might not be able to understand what was going on, so he made sense of what was happening by comparing the people with birds.
DeleteAs I found out the truth of the "falling" in the book, I started to theorize that maybe Jamie knew all along that the mother pushed the kids off the edge of the building, possibly explaining the analogies.
DeleteIt seems that with Rachel, there's no winning. She's facing prejudice from other people of color because of "white features" and she's only made one white friend as well. It's crazy that even though she is mixed race, and still considered a person of color, people of color are still judging her because of blue eyes and stuff that is all bull crap. This also shows the notion of a single story, because the other girls think that just because she has some "white girl" features that she doesn't belong, when in reality she fits with them well.
ReplyDeleteIt seems like there arn't many mixed kids at the school and I think that because it is "out of the ordinary" for them they feel the need to put her down.
DeleteNear the end of the novel when Rachel is at the fountain with Jesse and people start shouting Nigger lover, Rachel and Jesse are facing this prejudice just because of how they feel, even in a newer age. I'm not exactly sure if Jesse really cared though because he was drunk and shouting my mocha girl, and he's not mentioned again so I'm not sure if he actually cared that much. I wonder if there's a sequel because I want to find out what Rachel does next, and what happens with her father.
ReplyDeleteI think that Jesse cared, he told Rachel to not mind it, and yelled at the people who shouted. I think that he just didnt understand how hurtful it was for Rachel to be called that.
DeleteI find it really interesting that Rachel is being bullied by African American people because she has white peoples features. This seems interesting because we are so used to the prejudice being directed by whites to blacks, like in To Kill a Mockingbird. We were seeing a lot of blacks being hurt (Mentally or Physically) because they are black. But in this book we are seeing prejudice from black children to another dark skinned girl because she has "White" features. Hmmmm interesting.
ReplyDeleteI've had the same feeling throughout the novel because she really can't win wherever she is, she can't be around whites because she's black but then she is made fun of because of things so small as blue eyes by people of her own color.
DeleteAlyshia, I found that interesting too! All year we have focused on prejudice and discrimination toward black people. With this situation, we a girl being judged for her white features. This contrasts a lot of what we've read about previously.
DeleteMy own personal explanation is since black's horrid history has affect them in may ways, having a mixed person could be seen as dangerous or asking because they are half white. This related to TKAM when they talk about Dolphus Raymond's children. There's a quote that goes something along the lines of "Sometimes it's harder to be mixed because they don't belong anywhere."
DeleteExcellent connection to Dolphus Raymond's kids in TKAM! Yes, I think you're all making the point that she doesn't belong in either the black or white world—like a bird who falls from the nest (as Chase said), who then has to make its way alone. Also the free fall concept suggests a momentary suspension between worlds.
DeleteI think that the people are bullying her because they are jealous. The girls wanted to beat her up and they said things to her like "You think your so cute tossin that hair around." Rachel got a compliment from the bus driver saying how pretty she is, and also when John Bailey said she is the prettiest girl. This makes me think that the girls are just very jealous of her.
DeleteI feel like Rachel's grandma is made to be as a villian by Rachel, but in reality I think that she is just trying to protect her. Although her comments about Rachel's clothing are insensitive, I think they come out of a good place.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree. I personally know what it's like to have someone be a complete ass to me for the smallest things and I started thinking the same way Rachel did, but I eventually learned that they were just trying to help. Although there are some things she does that are out of line like call her the things she did comparing her to her dead mother, like, you just don't do that.
DeleteAfter learning more about Rachel's grandmother, I think the is rightfully made to be a villain. She isn't all bad, and I do believe that she truly cares about Rachel, I think she doesn't know how to express it. She calls Rachel names, and it may be tough love, but its not beneficial to her.
DeleteI agree, but I also think the way adults need to be most sensitive when they speak to children/teenagers; especially with teens like Rachel who have anxiety. I think Rachel's grandma acts out of fear of losing someone else; which can sometimes make her insensitive.
DeleteYes, I agree. And apparently, her life took a nosedive after she lost her son. She can't seem to get over the fact that she lost him twice—first to a white stranger (Nella) and second to alcohol. She's bitter and heartbroken, but not bad at heart.
DeleteLike Chase, I too am very fascinated with Jamie and his home life. I believe his home life is going to contribute to his character ark and or development. Rachel's anxiety and "bottle" growing inside her will eventually hurt her. I predict one of the most raw scenes in the book is going to be Rachel finally bursting. Another character I am extremely interested is Rachel's father, Roger. Roger is the classic "father figure that left" character; but he actually has a twist. Roger only leaving out of the safety and love for his child (after the accident with his first son, Charles) is a new subject I haven't thought about. I think a lot of Rachel's anxiety stems from her father. It is shown that Roger's anxiety keeps him from raising his child. I can't wait to see how these characters will grow.
ReplyDeleteI thought that it was a good choice by the author to have Brick know a bit about Rachel's father. Because Rachel always longed to know her father, she felt an emptiness in her life that she couldn't fill. Brick fixed this when he told her about him, I think it healed her a lot!
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteI also think that is it was a good choice. When you say that it healed he a lot it's like it gave her motivation. I'm a little confused about what happened though. Is the chapters about Brick from the past?
DeleteThe part where somebody yells the N-Word at Rachel and Jesse was awful. You are reading about a moment of joy in her life, only to have it be ruined by a racist person. I think it was an important moment, though. It really makes you understand prejudice better. People arent going to be racist only when you expect it, it can happen anytime. I think that this contrasts with TKAM because you expect racist remarks due to the time period and location. But when reading about Rachel, its a bit more jarring. When I read about Rachel, I can relate to her because she is near my age and we are in a similar time period, so when something like that happens to her, its eye-opening.
ReplyDeleteI think one of hardest things Rachel has to deal with is the prejudice she gets from her very own grandmother. Being called names from a random person can be less impactful than a close friend; but a family member! I think Rachel's grandmother calling her "hussy" is going to set with Rachel forever especially knowing Rachel's anxiety.
DeleteAt the end, as expected by Chase, there was mention of a bird. I think that she swan may be representing Rachel "flying away" from her worries. This may be a stretch, but I dont know why else the bird might be mentioned in such detail at the end.
ReplyDeleteI think that Rachel looked up to Aunt Loretta. She wanted to go with her when she moved out and live with them. She is talking about how she wants to be like her. When Aunt Loretta died it impacted the whole family's lives. Her grandmother wouldn't garden anymore, or do what she normally does like put the powder in Rachels underwear drawer. Even though Rachel wasn't aloud to go to the hospital she went anyway because she cares. I feel like her aunt had a big impact on her life.
ReplyDeleteAt the beginning of the book, Rachel seems very self conscious. She only smiles without showing her teeth. When her grandmother said "Black girls with a lot of hair don't need to be so tender headed," Rachel said that she felt her middle layer collapse and she cried a lot. She doesn't like showing her emotions so she hides them in a little blue bottle she imagines. She says "I am not the new girl. But I will pretend." She keeps to herself and I don't think it really helps with her emotions.
ReplyDeleteI am wondering why Rachel's mother did what she did. She claims she loves her children but she pushed them off the roof. She was furious when Doug left the kids at the park by themselves. She says to them before the fall, "You are the most important things in the world... I want to always be the best mother I can be." If she means that then why did she end their lives? I'm also curious to why everyone is saying that a man pushed them off. Brick said he saw a man but in Rachel's flashbacks it was her mother who killed her children and herself.
ReplyDelete