Rating: 
Summary: A Gift
Review: This book is a true gift. James McBride has not only given a precious gift to his mother, by writing "The Color of Water", but has also given to us, the readers, a valuable present as well.Ruth/Rachel should be proud of James and the eleven other children which she brought into this topsy turby world. She should be proud of herself and of her achievements as a mother. Obviuosly, she has done something right. Even though Ruth/Rachel has felt that she has wronged her mother, maybe redemption has been obtained through this book. Hopefully members of her family can understand her and "reincarnate" her into their lives. Mr. McBride gave us such a close look at his and his mother's personal life. This is not an easy thing to do, but it was important that he did. I hope that all people from all walks of life read this book and come to understand that black or white/ Jew or Christian, can synergize the splendid colors of the rainbow. There is room for all colors of the rainbow in this world.
Rating:
Summary: More Than a Great Book!
Review: This is one of the top books that I have read in the last five years. What a tribute to the human spirit and family. Many thanks for writing this great piece of nonfiction.
Rating:
Summary: The Color of Water
Review: The book "The Color of Water" by James McBride is a moving story from beginning to end. What made the book interesting is how it jumped back and forth from his life, to his mothers. It explains the hardships, which they both encountered through their lives. Ruth McBride didn't have a perfect life like many of us dream about, she was faced with many different problems, but through it all she instilled strong educational and religious morals. (Example, she didn't have much money she put all twelve of her children through college and graduate school). This book shows us that you face many hard times in life, but if you stick to your goals you will make it through anything. I would defiantly recommend this book to my friends it is easy to read and understand.
Rating: 
Summary: The Color of Water
Review: This book was incredible. It exemplifys how individuals are treated in society within mixed racial relationships. Ruth McBride was an incredible woman. She preached education to all of her children who went on to become doctors, lawyers, nurses virtually all of them gradutated college with some sort of degree. I really enjoyed reading this book. It was easy reading and yet conveyed many important messages regarding the family institution, religion and race.
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Summary: put yourself in her shoes!
Review: this book was AWESOME! I couldn't put it down! The story line switched back inforth from the author to the mother and that kept me coming back I always wanted to know what was the next thing! James's mother was amazing! She had a challenging life this tribute was greatly deserved! Only if all people were so fearless!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent book--You Must Read It!
Review: This is, by far, one of the best books I've read. No question about it. Please take the chance to read it.
Rating:
Summary: The color of water
Review: While reading the book "the color of water" by James McBride, I greatly understood the racial problems that existed in the United States and other countries. I am Jew. And because of this, I understand all the racial unfairships that had happened. This book is powerful. Well writen. Often in did jump around to different times that made it (at times) confusing, but other than that, it was a great book!
Rating:
Summary: Thought Provoking and Inspirational
Review: This book was a quick read and has a powerful ending. I was moved by James MacBride's life experiences that help him define who he is today. He never takes a victim approach to life. His ability to appreciate his mother's uniqueness makes this book worth every word you read. I LOVED it!
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Summary: An intense book; erases color from the eyes of the world.
Review: The book was excellent. I haven't read a book this good in over two years. I learned a lot from it and I think you will too. The story is interestion, emotional, and cleverly written. James McBride wrote an entertaining memoir that kept my nose glued to the pages of the book. There were very few parts that didn't hold my attention. James and his family encountered so many situations throughout his life that it was unbelievable how strong and close his family turned out to be. I have lived a very sheltered life compared to the life of James and his mother. It was exciting to see another life besides mine. I enjoyed reading about all the "adventures" James and his mother had experienced in their lives. The feelings involved throughout the book were so intense. The feelings alone made the book come alive to me. I felt the emotions along with the characters. When James mother was crying I would want to cry with her, and other characters actions would make me so mad that I would have to stop reading until I calmed down. My emotions manipulated themselves as I read the authors words. James McBride placed his words cleverly and used his words very strategically. I love the way he signified the switching of his life and his mother's life in every other chapter. I also found it enticing that he would leave important information out of his life and answer the readers queations later in the book in the chapters about his mother's life. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed reading the book. I believe James McBride is a very talented author. I would recommend this book to almost anyone, especially people that might be having trouble with or want a stronger sense of their ancestry or or their roots.
Rating:
Summary: A Couragous Woman
Review: I love this book. It's worth reading it. This is a moving story, which the author James McBride who is black described vividly about his white mother's life. I like its format. In each odd chapter James' mother Ruth talks about her childhood in a Jewish family, her siblings, relatives, friends, first love, marriage, etc. And in each even chapter James tells about his impression about his mother from his childhood to present, from being shameful to being proud of his white mother. When I was reading I could not stop concerning Ruth and James' fate. One of the scenes is impressive. James' biological father died before he was born and his mother Ruth was so desperate. Her Jewish family refused to give her help. At that time she met her second husband who promised to take care of her and her eight kids and he did. So the whole family got survived. This was a very important step for Ruth to start her new life again. She was lucky but I thought she put too many responsibilities on herself with total twelve mixed blood kids in her life. She challenged not only her life but also the society. The author James pointed out the racism existing deeply in America everywhere and his white mother was the one who struggled silently to it by God's help. She changed to be a Christian from a Jewish and believed God was the color of water. It indicates that it doesn't matter of what color of the skin. If people educated themselves, they could understand and respect each other and make their life better. When I finished reading this book, I kept thinking about the commons with other articles I have read, such as Malcolm X's "Learning to Read". Malcolm was the leading spokesman for Elijah Muhammad of the Black Muslims. He involved in the civil rights movement. He used his knowledge by self-education to impact American's thinking about black or white. In the Color of Water, James said "When Malcolm X talked about "the white devil" Mommy simply felt those references didn't apply to her. She viewed the civil rights achievements of black Americans with pride, as if they were her own." I am proud of Ruth too. She is the greatest mother I have ever seen. I would like to recommend this book to teenagers and college students. I think you will like it and gain experiences from it.
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