The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother

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Summary: An "Unforgettable Memior"
Review: The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother, written by James McBride, was an outstanding and touching memoir. This unforgettable memoir takes you through a journey where race is just a part of the equation. It tells a story of the reflections of James McBride and his mother. It begins with Rachel's side, a young girl who grows in an abusive lifestyle, with her strict father and crippled mother. She later moved to New York and changed her name to Ruth to forget her painful past. Throughout her life, she meets and marries two wonderful colored men, although in her time, it is illegal to have interracial marriages. Between them, she has twelve children, and struggles with the death of both of her husbands. James, however, leads a very different life. He struggles with having a white mother in these hard times when he is colored. Ruth's story ends when all twelve of her children take on such different lives than she had, every one of them goes to college and becomes successful, even James, after he takes a small detour in his life.
The memoir was inspiring in so many ways; so many American's did and still are experiencing the same difficulties all across the world. I thought that this book was a well-written account of being a multicultural family. Reading it, I felt as though I got to know James and Ruth very well. I would suggest this book to teenagers and adults. I believe that it would be too much for a child to read. The author really gets into the hardships and gets personal with the characters. It also gives the reader two totally different perspectives of two opposite lives developing in two unlike time periods. An important aspect of this book, is that it has something that not every book entails...REAL LIFE, this memoir tells it exactly how it is.
"Educate yourself or you'll be a nobody." A quote said by Ruth more than once. She repeatedly reiterated this to her children, for when they asked if they were black or white, she would simply reply with this. I think this is the main point of the book. It clearly states that it doesn't matter what color you are, or aren't, as long as you get a good education you will be fine. There is even a little foreshadowing in this statement. At the end of the story, majority of her children goes to college and become successful. Take on the life that she couldn't. I believe the authors purpose was to get this message through and he did a very good job in getting it across to readers.

For those people who live in Swampscott, or other towns where they don't get to experience interracial situations, this book really lets you see the truth of what it was like and understand the difficulties others have to go through. It is a good learning experience for those who don't get the real life opportunities. The way the author expresses different emotions gives you the full effect.
In conclusion, this memoir contained a good statement about racism and clarified that family love can guide you through life. A family only functions properly with love and support. This story is a reflection of both lives that eventually combine and intertwine together to end the book. The only flaw I notice is that even though James is considered black, he is half white and doesn't acknowledge that factor, he should have some pride in his white side.

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Summary: the color of irresponsibility!
Review: This book is written from two perspectives. James McBride,a biracial man, who was raised as black, searching for his identity,and Ruth McBride Jordan, who was trying to forget her past and create a new identity for herself. To me,Ruth Mcbride Jordan seemed to be an emotionally disturbed and self hating jew. Her hatred of her past was caused by her abusive cruel father, who happened to be an Orthodox Rabbi. The problems the Shilsky family had were independant of their religeon.
When I read the the book I had great concerns about the negative picture it painted of jewish life. Many of the other reviews I have read stated that Ruth's family disowned her because she married a man of another race. It is an old Jewish practice to disown, when someone married out of the faith, however,race has nothing to do with it. I have never met a
modern Jew who agrees with this practice. Another Jewish custom that is rarely practiced today which was innacurately presented, was when Ruth's mother Bubeh "waved" a chicken over their heads and said "You die so I can live!",then they killed it as a blood sacrifice at Yom Kippur. First of all, Yom Kippur is a fasting holiday, no one is killing anything! Secondly I or no one I know has ever seen this done. I spoke to a Rabbi, and she said those who do it, pass the chicken gently above their heads, bless the chicken and thank G-d for giving them food.
She/he portrays black people so warmly and kindly,and white people, especially Jews as money grubbing, abusive, unkind, and selfish. Which I find amazing since most of the people that so kindly paid their children's way to college and were white and Jewish, according to James... but he still had something negative to say about them. It makes me so sad. This book is
clearly written from Ruth's and James's own biases.Which is a totally unfair to most loving accepting Jewish and white families. It is a shame that schools don't choose to assign something more informed or representative of Jewish life. It's too bad Ruth didn't have a warm Jewish exposure. She is a classic example of the cycle of victimization.
This book constantly contradicts it'self with regard to racial bias. When a person is mentioned, James always tells you what race they are. The title of the book implies that race is not important.. but the words in the book always let you know that the person's race is more important than a persons deeds.
To me Ruth is no hero,she is a woman who irresponsibly has 12 children and puts them through hell and starvation, beats them when they don't co-operate, and is almost never home. What she did very well, was to take the right steps to get them into good schools, even if that meant having them bussed to other areas where Jewish people went to school. Somehow, by the combination of her own words,a miracle,other's generosity,and and other's advice, the children get instilled in them the values of getting a good eduacation.
The next puzzle in the book is Ruth's second husband, Hunter Jordan. For 14 years he doesn't live with Ruth and her children. He spends time with them only on weekends, more like an uncle than a dad. He is able to get Ruth pregnant 4 more times, after she already has 8 children. This man who, for 14 years, only made rare during the week appearances,just can't seem to tolerate living with his own wife and children. If Ruth was such a hero, she would have demanded that her husband live at home with the family and set a good example for his kids.Of course having only as many kids as you can afford, taking care of them your self, using other measures of punishment than "beating", and having a husband that comes home every night to be with his family doesn't get you a book written about you does it. That would be too boring. All I can say is bitterness and surviving abuse sells books.
To me the true heros in this book were James McBride and his siblings. Some how they were able to survive the ordeal of their life with Ruth, and still remain a family. In contrast to Ruth's bitterness towards her family, James claims to have a postive attitude about his life and seems to have forgiven his mother for the terrible life that was emposed on him.
When James was around 15, James gets involved in a life of drugs and crime, and drops out of school. Ruth sends James away to live with his step sister "Jack", in order to "straighten him out", there, he gets involved with a group of violent drinking criminals that he meets through Jack's husband. One of his homies there at the corner liquer store advises him that if doesn't go back to school and take care of himself, he'll end up
like them. This is a turning point in James's life. He goes back home and after a period of setbacks, gets back on track.
I think this this book redeems itself. It shows how you can mess up, and if you live, it's not the end and you can still go back and make something of yourself.

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Summary: Why the Color of water changed my life
Review: The Color of Water written by James McBride is a boy's story of growing up. James McBride writes about his experience growing up as a black child with his 11 siblings and his Jewish, white mother. The book is written half as James telling his feelings growing up and the other half the mother explaining her life. Each chapter is an intimate look at how each person felt over the years. This book can be read by all ages as it explains what a family really means. This book was both interesting and inspirational. It amazed me to see all 12 children go through such a tough childhood and grow up to be very well educated adults.
The Color of Water takes place in Harlem during a time when there is still prejudice. Since James and his other brothers and sisters are black with a white mother, their lives are made even more difficult. James' mother is a Jewish women who was born in Poland and raised in the South. Her childhood was very difficult, for her father was very strict and mean to her. The mother grew close to a black man which was a risky thing to do during that time. James' mom felt black people understood her better. One day she had enough with her broken home and fled to Harlem. In Harlem she met a black man and they started a family.
Growing up James and his family were relatively poor and he had to live in close quarters with his 11 brothers and sisters. It was also hard because his mother's first husband had died and now there was a new dad. James was confused growing up in a black neighborhood with a white mother. He would always ask his mother if he were black or white and she would reply that he was a human being and should concentrate on being educated. James' mother also told him not to worry because "God is the color of water". James managed to survive all the temptations and problems he faced growing up and moved on to go to college and become an inspiring adult.
The Color of Water is an interesting and entertaining book to read. This book gives readers an inside look at the hardships and the discrimination some people must face. I never found the book boring and I enjoyed the insight into James' and his mother's life. I have great admiration for the strength that James' mother had. She raised 12 children in a tough neighborhood with very little money, and yet each child received a college education.
James McBride's purpose in writing this book was to show the world how strong people can be. I think this book was not meant to really show how hard his life was growing up, but rather to show how strong his mother was. Since this book was written firsthand it describes what it was really like growing up for both James and his mother. I think McBride had great success in showing how strong his mother was. This book gave insight on how different people live different lives. I enjoyed The Color of Water and I highly recommend it.

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Summary: The color of Water , book review by Meagan
Review: Most people would concur in saying that growing up and finding ones self and their individuality is quite a task at hand. Could you imagine on top of that knowing absolutely nothing about your background and why you are mulatto and your mother is white? In the novel the Color of Water, by James McBride the main character James Mcbride is constantly searching for answers from his past while trying to grow up with 11 other brothers and sisters. This story is an eye-opener that demonstrates racial diversities in their entirety.
This book is comprised of the stories of a white Jewish woman and how she came to have 12 mulatto children, and the story of a catholic mulatto boy who came to have a white mother and 11 siblings. The book goes from one story to the next skipping chapters, ranging from the early 1920's all the way to the 1980's and 90's. The Jewish woman, Ruth McBride Jordan's story goes from her birthplace in Poland to the south to Brooklyn and Harlem. The account is based on how she came to be a white Jewish woman living in Brooklyn with 12 biracial children. The story of James McBride is all about a search for the truth about his past and the past of his mothers. This search takes him from the Red Hook housing projects in Brooklyn where he grew up back down to the south to learn about the reality of his mother. James's problem is that he is ashamed of his mother who walks with a hobble and rides around on an old rickety bicycle. Although he respects the fact that despite all the racial attention their family receives that is the last thing on his mothers mind. First and foremost is always education, followed by good morals and manners.

When James McBride is a young boy he is very confused because when he looks at his mother he sees a completely different person not only on the inside but outside as well. His mother is white and he is black. Growing up his mother would just say to him "I am light skinned." James then asked what color is god and she replied, "God is the color of water." Ruth held her past a secret from her children until they were old enough to pry it out of her. When she finally let out some information he found out that his mother was born in Poland as the daughter of a rabbi but then came to America and was raised in the South. Her father, Tateh, sexually abused her and forced her to work in their family store for countless hours. Ruth ended up getting pregnant by her black boyfriend, Peter, so she left her family in Suffolk Virginia and moved to Harlem, New York. There she met Dennis, who introduced her to Christianity, which she soon converted too. Together they founded the New Brown Memorial church and had 8 children. Dennis ended up dieing due to lung cancer and Ruth remarried a man named Hunter Jordan whom she then had 4 more children with.

I felt that The Color of Water is an extremely good book. I thought that the two stories combined was an effective way to portray the hardships of growing up biracial. This book allows those who live in an area where the majority of people are white get a glimpse at the fact that there are places where white people are those being singled out. However, one aspect that I did not like was when I first began to read the story I was not aware that the book was broken up into two stories, so it was confusing until I caught on. I feel that The Color of Water is a great book for mature teenagers and young adults. It is a story that is great to read if you feel like growing up is hard. It makes you appreciate what you have and the family life that you are living.

The Color of Water is a great book. I feel that the hardships that Ruth and James McBride suffer are those comparable to many others. And although I may not have endured such tragedies in my life I can learn from the ones that James and his family have lived through. This book is extremely touching and shows the world an inside look at two completely different people whose lives are so similar. Overall I would have to give this book two thumbs up.

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Summary: The color of water
Review: The Color of Water
by,
James McBride

The Color of Water by, James McBride, was a book that I thought I wouldn't care to read this summer, but it unquestionably wasn't. this book affected me greatly because, it made me understand how other people get affected because they are different. While reading The Color of Water, I noticed how it related to another book that I had read. It reminded me of To Kill a Mocking Bird. All of the racial conflicts are similar against people that are different. The Color of Water about a black boy, named James, born into a Polish- Jewish family and all the differences he has to face throughout his life. He overcomes challenges of race and identity. Ruth, James's mother, moved to America with her family when she was two years old. She later got pregnant with her black boyfriend, Peter. She moved away from her family. She meets several men in her Because James lived a very chaotic life he abuses his education. His senior year he got into Oberlin Collage. I enjoyed this book immensely and I would definitely recommend it for high school students to adults. It teaches people how respect should be given to all and that if you believe in yourself anything is possible. Also family is the most important thing in your life and you should always stay by them, even if they make wrong choices.

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Summary: Humanity in Book Form
Review: James McBride's novel The Color of Water is a tribute to his white mother. James's mother, Ruth McBride, was brought up in an Orthodox Jew household in the south. When Ruth got older she moved to Harlem and married Dennis McBride, a black man. The couple remained in Harlem, despite the problems the would face as an interracial couple. Ruth and Dennis had eight children before Dennis fell victim to lung cancer, which was a few months before James was born. Ruth seeks help from her family, but they are unwilling to aid her since she had married a black man. Ruth soon after seeking help from her family, she meets Hunter Jordan, another black man from Harlem. Ruth and Hunter are soon married and the second marriage produces a means for Ruth to support her other eight children, while adding another 4 to the McBride-Jordan clan.

Throughout the book, McBride weaves his own tale of growing up and finding out who he really is, while still telling his mothers story. He adds his own memories of being brought up in Harlem by his white mother with his eleven brothers and sisters, of fighting with those same brothers and same sisters to get enough to eat, and his mothers desire to give her children the best education possible, which meant that they would be bused to different school districts whenever the chance arose. McBride wrote this novel as a tribute to his mother and it becomes a literary work full of human nature and compassion. It discusses the issues of race and religion with the clarity and simplicity that only being to concerned with getting enough food on the table for 12 children can bring. When young James asks his mother if God is black or white, Ruth responds by telling James that God is neither black nor white, but the color of water, that God is all things, a kind of spirit.

I loved this book and would recommend it to anyone, regardless of age or ethnicity. It's plot sucks you into the novel and wraps around you until you scarcely recognize the world beyond the book in you're hands. McBride crafts the novel to be a testament to human nature and includes everything that comes with it, both the good and the bad. By the end of the novel you are amazed by how one women's sheer willpower saw that her twelve children were educated to the highest degree possible and still survived to have grandchildren gather at her house every holiday season. The quote on the front cover is proven by the time you reach the back cover, you are proud to be a member of the human race once you finish the book.

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Summary: great book
Review: I couldn't believe how great this book was! I thought it was dumb at first when I saw the title but I was totally into it by the third chapter and could not put it down until I had read the whole thing-2:00 in the morning. It is easy to read and relates to so many issues of then and today.

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Summary: The Color Of Water
Review: "The Color of Water" by James McBride is a touching story of love, pain, and a mother's sacrifice for her children. The mother is Jewish and comes to America with her family as a small child. She has a difficult time living in the south with the unpopularity of being a Jew during that time in their community. There are many other heart jerking issues for her and her siblings to face as a daughter of a Rabbi.
As Ruth grows into adolescents she moves to New York where she meets the love of her life. After the birth of eight children, she loses her husband to death. She marries again, has four more children, and loses her husband again.
Many mothers would give up, having 12 children to raise without the support of family. Not Ruth, her determination and success in putting 12 children through college will touch your heart, told from the perspective of 1 of the 12 children. "The Color of Water" has many lessons for all people of all ethnic backgrounds. Read this memoir of James McBride and have a new and comforting perspective on American dreams.

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Summary: Wonderfully inspiring...
Review: James McBride's "The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother" is a very moving book. It makes me proud to be a part of the human race. It is a simple tale of two lives that seems somewhat typical and yet it is complex. It is a truly wonderful book.

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Summary: Amazing Story of Family Discovery
Review: James McBride is the eighth of twelve children, and as a young boy growing up in the 1960s in Brooklyn projects, knows that his mother is different. James and his brothers and sisters are all black, but his mother is white. Questions posed to his mother regarding his race and God are met with snappy, yet unsatisfying replies. ("Am I black or white?" "You're a human being." "What color is God?" "God is the color of water.") As an adult, McBride is compelled find his identity, and convinces his mother, intensely private, to share her story. The Color of Water becomes McBride's autobiography as well as his mother Ruth McBride Jordan 's biography.
McBride eventually learns that his mother and her family were Jewish immigrants who settled in Virginia. Her father, abusive to both his wife and children, disowned Ruth when she fled to Harlem and married a black man in the 1940s. Ruth eventually becomes a Christian, helps her husband establish a Baptist Church, and sends each and every one of her twelve children and herself to college. The triumphs, however, did not come without struggle and heartbreak along the way.
James McBride wrote an awesome book not just about race and religion, but about the importance of family history and honesty. Readers of all races and religions, from young adult and beyond, will appreciate McBride and his mother's courage in sharing the personal details of their lives. Mrs. Jordan's life is truly an inspiration, evidence as to what can be accomplished through faith and determination.