Bestselling novelist to speak at ASU Aug. 16

Heidi Durrow, author of the New York Times bestseller, "The Girl Who Fell From the Sky," will speak Tuesday, Aug. 16, at 3 p.m. in Belk Library and Information Commons at Appalachian State University.

Inspired by a true story, the book is a moving bicultural coming-of-age tale about the daughter of a Danish immigrant and a black G.I.

When the book received the Bellwether Prize for Literature and Social Change, the prize's founder, noted author Barbara Kingsolver, said, "(A) breathless telling of a tale we've never heard before. Haunting and lovely, pitch-perfect, this book could not be more timely."

The book was also named one of the best novels of 2010 by the Washington Post and a Top 10 Buzz Book of 2010 by the Boston Herald.

Durrow is a graduate of Stanford University, Columbia's Graduate School of Journalism and Yale Law School. Originally from Portland, Ore., she has worked as a corporate litigator and as a life skills trainer for professional athletes. She is an occasional essay contributor to National Public Radio.

Her presentation will be in Room 421 in Belk Library, followed by a book signing and reception. Parking will be available in the College Street deck.

For more information, call Lynn Patterson at (828) 262-2087.