Racial tensions have plagued society for ages and it is common today to still find individuals who won’t let go of their prejudicial views. In the modern world, racism is basically under control and it is common to find interracial couples and other signs of a more tolerant, pluralistic society. But imagine growing up in the middle to latter part of the twentieth century in a mixed racial household. More specifically, imagine you are a child of mixed races with a black father and a white Jewish mother. This might seem far- fetched for those times, but it was reality for one man who spent a great deal of his youth confused about himself and perplexed about why he was so different. The result of this man’s reflection and research into his past is The Color of Water: A Black Man’s Tribute to His White Mother, written by journalist and musician James McBride.

Basic Contents of This Book:

This 291- page book contains the following chapters:

1. Dead
2. The Bicycle
3. Kosher
4. Black Power
5. The Old Testament
6. The New Testament
7. Sam
8. Brothers and Sisters
9. Shul
10. School
11. Boys
12. Daddy
13. New York
14. Chicken Man
15. Graduation
16. Driving
17. Lost in Harlem
18. Lost in Delaware
19. The Promise
20. Old Man Shilsky
21. A Bird Who Flies
22. A Jew Discovered
23. Dennis
24. New Brown
25. Finding Ruthie
Epilogue
Thanks and Acknowledgments

James McBride was born in 1957 to parent Ruth McBride and her late husband, Andrew McBride, who died before young James was born. He spent much of his youth doing ordinary things, like playing sports, attending school, and getting into his share of trouble. From the outside, he seemed like any other young black child during the time.

But even at a young age, James realized that there was something different about him and his family. He often wondered why his family would get strange looks from people wherever they went. He wondered why some people would make rude and often hurtful remarks. He knew his mother looked different from the rest of the family and gradually he realized that she was from a different race. There wasn’t necessarily anything wrong with this, but the marriage between Andrew McBride and Ruth took place in the 1940’s- an era when this sort of arrangement wasn’t socially acceptable. James McBride spends the first several chapters of the book talking about his mother, his father, his mother’s parents, and the many puzzling and sometimes embarrassing moments he endured as a child, wondering why he was one way and his mother another and why society had such a problem with the situation.

McBride’s mother Ruth was a strict but fair person and she was always pushing her children to strive for the best. In her mind, the most important things in life were religion and school and she was insistent that her kids attend church on a regular basis and get good grades. She didn’t hold back when it came to disapproval. She wouldn’t hesitate to pull out a belt and whack her kids a few times if she felt they were slacking in either religion or education.

The majority of this book consists of McBride’s own writing but there are also some contributions from Ruth McBride. Ruth explains, in her own unique way, what life was like growing up as an Orthodox Jew to a strict, stubborn Jewish father; searching for one’s self and longing for acceptance; and ultimately rebelling by converting to the Christian faith and by marrying a black man. Ruth explains that she felt very much at ease in a crowd of black people and she related to them in many ways. She didn’t let social norms stand in her way. She knew what she wanted and she didn’t hold back.

McBride spends the last several chapters in this book talking about life as a teenager/young adult; how he ultimately turned his life around; and how he finally found out the truth about himself, his mother, and her past. He wraps up the book with some words about his current family and how his mother helped to shape so many lives in such a positive way.

Final Thoughts:

“The Color of Water” is a very good piece of reading material written by Mr. James McBride, a noted journalist, composer, and musician. McBride is a very successful man and in his mind, he has his mother to thank for it. He wrote this book as a tribute to the mother that raised him and his other eleven siblings, showing the positive impact that her life lessons had on him and the other members of the family.

This book is actually two stories about courage and personal triumph. First, there was James McBride himself, a young man who spent most of his youth mired in the midst of a personal identity crisis. McBride knew he was different but he wasn’t sure exactly how different he was; how he got that way; or what it meant. He wasn’t sure if he was black or white or something else entirely. His older siblings purposely misled him about his past, just to watch their little brother’s reactions and for their own amusement. His mother, when young James pressed for answers to questions, wouldn’t give a straight answer and usually changed the subject. McBride finally puts the pieces together midway through the book and when he is faced with another crisis. The era is the 1960’s and 1970’s and social unrest is everywhere. McBride begins experimenting with drugs and hangs out with the wrong crowd. He has to make a decision on whether or not to continue living life on the street or to go to school, get an education, and make use of his many talents. Fortunately, he chooses the latter and he goes on to great success as a writer, saxophonist, and music composer.

Author James McBride, however, isn’t the only person suffering through a crisis. His mother Ruth also has some stories to tell and she is given the spotlight in this book to share he own thoughts with the reader. Rather than write about what his mother told him and paraphrasing her words, McBride decided to take his mother’s own words of wisdom and strife and present them within the pages of the book. Her words are easy to identify- they are printed in italics and they either open a chapter or they are given a chapter by themselves. They tell a story of a woman with a difficult past who longed to be loved and respected and often suffered from an identity crisis of her own- much like her son. But like James McBride, Ruth overcame her personal problems and emerged stronger than ever. She even went so far as to convert to a different religion- something that was unthinkable in those days. And, of course, she defied her father and every social law in the land- written or unwritten- when she decided to marry a black man.

This book is both moving and inspiring and it touches the reader in more ways than one. You feel for young James and his other siblings; innocent children growing up in a family that is subjected to ridicule and rejection solely because the mother is from a different racial background. You try to put yourself in James’ shoes and imagine what life must have been like for him and the other family members. You sympathize with Ruth McBride for the wrath she endured from her own father. Yet, at the same time, you rejoice in the book’s outcome. Not only did Ruth McBride escape her unpleasant upbringing, James and all of his siblings went on to earn college degrees and live successful, fulfilling lives thanks to the lessons instilled in them by their mother.

James McBride writes this book in a very professional yet intimate way. He wants the reader to be entertained but he also wants to create a personal feel. He accomplishes both with this book, with writing that is creative at times and that has a tendency to be sentimental and praiseworthy. McBride knows that he lived an unusual life but he isn’t bitter about anything. He credits his mother not only for holding the family together but also for giving him the courage to give up the streets in favor of a solid education and a great career.

McBride knows his life was tough and his circumstances unique. But he doesn't throw a pity party. He intended this book as a celebration of sorts- a tribute to his mother and mothers everywhere who have inspired their children to great achievements against all odds. He is optimistic throughout the book and he never wavers on the firm beliefs that were ingrained in his psyche by his mother: That education and religion are the keys to happiness and that all other great things stem from these foundations. He could have written this book in a very different way; full of tension, suspense, anger, and fear. But the book is optimistic and while it leaves you wondering about certain aspects of the family (like exactly why his mother decided to change religions) it also gives you a feeling of positive satisfaction. Even when things are not going well in his life, McBride describes the situation with a sense of optimism and purpose.

McBride spent more than fourteen years interviewing his own mother and searching for the missing pieces to his life history puzzle. This book is the culmination of those efforts and it is certainly a book worth reading. It’s a page- turner and it will both amaze and inspire those who take the time to read and absorb the life lessons within.



Recommended: Yes