Rating: 
Summary: Although life can be cruel and unkind Never Give Up.
Review: This novel highlights the painful and difficult road that is life for many people.Yet through it all the characters show a determination to survive and make something of their lives.
Rating: 
Summary: A very moving story.
Review: After struggling through approximately one-third of the book, it started to flow better. I enjoyed the story very much. Having grown up in a family with many interracial marriages, I understand Ruth's struggle to raise her children. When she was attacked and struggled on the ground with her attackers to prevent them from stealing her purse, I thought it took a lot of courage to get up and continue on her with her son with uttering a word. Perhaps Ruth's most saving grace was her belief in God. With twelve children to raise, she always found time and energy to go to church. She reminds me of typical black mothers of that time. Luckily she had two husbands who loved and cared for her and their children.
Rating:
Summary: only one adjective to describe this book: gripping
Review: i read this book almost a year ago and iwas emotionally moved and captivated by the style of james mcbride.his mother's trials and tribulations are outstandingly categorised.her emhence willpower to brake away from her jewish lifestyle is heroiclly touching to individuals looking to rise above the odds.i think this book is remarkable and captivating and is and will be one of the greatest books i've ever read
Rating:
Summary: Boring
Review: Anyone can write a book like this. It was not at all interesting or movin
Rating:
Summary: More than race
Review: I am neither Jewish or black but found plenty to appreciate in this book. I'll leave it to past reviewers to provide details about the story. I am a 50 year old lesbian who could relate to family rejection faced by Ruth and the need to create for herself a family that would surround her with love and meaning. I plan to recommend this book to my friends.
Rating:
Summary: This book changed my views on memoirs; I weeped openly.
Review: I am a seventeen year old Jewish girl who truely felt honored to be of the same species of someone like Ruth McBride Jordan. God bless her, her children and her grandchildren. I don't think I'll be the same after reading this book. It changed my life which might be a bit dramatic but it's true. Thank you James and Ruth.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent autobiographical account from Mr.james McBride
Review: I read this last year and found the book stimulating. kudos to Mcbride for giving his audience the chance to enter his life.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful, Meaningful Gem
Review: Mr. McBride has written an incredible, moving story about hismother and his life. He is a wonderful writer who knows how to usewords. I couldn't put this book down. His mother lived through so much and gave so much so that her children would grow up as strong, caring individuals. She grew up with an abusive father and rigid mores; yet found herself with the love and support of two strong men in her life - her husbands. I, myself, am a reform Jew and see nothing anti-semitic about the book. Mr. McBride concludes his book with thoughts of how he has grown to appreciate his "Jewish upbringing" - the Jewish values his mother instilled in him and his siblings. They have grown up to be open-minded individuals who value education and learning and have a sense of being. Those are Jewish values. His mother did what she thought was best for her own life and her family's. She suffered, but she persevered. Maybe, Judaism wasn't the answer in her situation, but she didn't fall into an abyss for changing her religion. She was open-minded enough to change and find what she could believe in without being a hypocrite. The love Mr. McBride's family shares is awesome. His mother kept the family together at all costs. There was no mention of foster care, welfare or adoption. Just reading the list of where each child (now an adult) is today is inspiring. If I ever meet any members of Mr. McBride's family, I will feel very honored indeed. In this turbulent century, with its rampant racism, anti-semitism, and hatred, his family has risen above all that and shown that they know who they are and where they are going.
Rating:
Summary: A reader who grew up ins Suffolk, VA but left 42 years ago
Review: Although I enjoyed this book, I was uncomfortable to learn that someone else from Suffolk, Ms. McBride, held such a negative opinion of it. The Suffolk I remember was a loving, warm community. These differences in our experiences probably stemmed from our different circumstances? I was a white Anglo Saxon. Thus, this book helps me see my own life from a perspective that I did not see, or was not aware of, when I was growing up in Suffolk. Still I can't help thinking that some of Ms. McBride's impressions were molded by the low esteem in which her father appears to have been held, even among Jewish people.
Rating:
Summary: Moving ... and inspiring.
Review: I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The format (bouncing back and forth between the author's story and his mother's) was awkward at first but I began to enjoy the contrast about half way through. Mr. McBride writes very well. He is a good story-teller. I appreciated the way he pointed out examples of racism in his and his mother's life without any bitterness. What an incredable woman his mother is. His mother deserves a "tribute". I loved the book.
| 
