What Will Happen When One Comes of Age?

I am currently in the middle of an incredibly eye-opening and breathtaking story called The Girl Who Fell From the Sky by Heidi W. Durrow. The book follows a 16 year old girl named Rachel, who is half-Danish and half-Black, who has to find her way through the confusing search to find her own identity. Through Rachel’s journey to try to figure out who she really is, she grows up so much and learns a tremendous amount about herself.

After a terrible tragedy in her family, Rachel moves in with her grandmother and has to go to a new school, and face a lot of new things. At Rachel’s school, most of the Black girls don’t like her because they think she’s “trying to be White”, and the White girls don’t like her because they think she’s “too Black”. She’s always getting made fun of and one of the things she did to deal with it is bottle up all her emotions. Rachel said, “Whenever something starts to feel like hurt I put it in this imaginary bottle inside of me.” This is definitely a common way for adolescents to deal with strong or confusing emotions. Many people try to forget about what’s bothering them and hide it all inside. This way of dealing with things is slightly immature, and almost ignorant, because in the long run, it’s not what’s going to be best for you. 

When Rachel first starts having to fend for herself she makes some not so great decisions, and that’s a huge part of growing up. When one is first thrown into the world on their own, they are going to make mistakes. Through those mistakes, one will learn so much, and be able to make better decisions in the future. A big part of coming of age is having to be your own person and find your way through the struggles of life by yourself.

Later on in the book, Rachel is thinking about who she is as a person, and who she wants to be in terms of race. She feels closely connected with her Danish roots, and her Black roots as well. More often than not, Rachel feels alone in the world, for example, she says “I am already extinct in a way. No one can ever make another me.”  Rachel feels lonely and left out in the world. She can’t relate to anyone or talk to anyone who is in the same situation. I think that’s a common struggle when growing up. Many kids feel like they are the only one experiencing such terrible things, and they feel lost and confused. 

There are tons of biracial people in the world, and tons of biracial teenage girls, and Rachel shouldn’t feel alone. Hopefully, as she grows up, she will realize that she is not the only one, and there are people out there who feel just like she does. 

In conclusion, Rachel is confused and lost in the world, although she is not even a young adult yet. As time passes, and Rachel matures and “comes of age”, she will most likely overcome her fears and troubles, and finally figure out that she truly is an amazing person.