The Girl Who Fell From the Sky

The Girl Who Fell From the Sky by Heidi W. Durrow


My rating: 3 of 5 stars
This book was beautiful and very sad. I truly understand the comparisons to Toni Morrison's 'The Bluest Eye,' because it puts the reader right in the mind of a young Black girl. This girl, Rachel, has survived a really horrible tragedy and it is really tough to read what has happened in her short life span. The chapters switch from Rachel and a little boy who lived in her apartment building in Chicago. There are a few chapters of journal entries from Rachel's dead mother, Nella, that I wish there were more of. The ending was a little too pat for my taste, but all in all a really beautifully written novel.

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Finished Step Out on Nothing

Step Out on Nothing: How Faith and Family Helped Me Conquer Life's Challenges by Byron Pitts


My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Mom, I'm finally reading this one! It took forever for it to become availabe at the library. I'm not a regular '60 Minutes' viewer, so I'm not that familiar with the author, but I look forward to finding out more about this inspiring story.

I am so ashamed that it has taken me this long to post my review of this book, which I finished over a month ago. For some reason, I thought I had done it but I guess not. This book came highly recommended by my Mom, so I went it with high hopes. Overall, I would say that it was inspiring just missing a little something. I can't quite pinpoint what exactly I found missing. I think overcoming illiteracy to eventually become a '60 Minutes' correspondent is outstanding, I just don't think he actually revealed what took him from point A to point B. There were so many incredibly helpful people along the way, from teachers to college friends that it almost seemed too good to be true. In some ways, this book read like a fairy tale, because everything he needed to work out in his favor eventually did. I also wished he had gone into more detail about his personal adult life, like his wife and children.

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Oscar Nominations

I have always loved the announcement of the Oscar nominees. For some reason, it is so exciting because there is always someone who really deserves the recognition and accolades. This year, I was rooting for Jeremy Renner who received a Best Actor nomination for his role in 'The Hurt Locker.' I've watched a few of his interviews on the talk show circuit and he has been so nice and funny. When he was on Jimmy Kimmel, Jimmy introduced him as "Modesto's own...Jeremy Renner!" Since he is from the area, its fun to root for someone who came from such a small community. The Today show had him, another actor from the film and the director as guests so they were able to catch his reaction to the nomination. I've watched this several times and it's still so touching to see genuine surprise and joy for him to realize every actor's dream. The part where his name is announced is at approximately 3:00 and the part right after the nominations are finished is about 6:40. He's so gracious.

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