Highest Rated Review by the Community
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Rated a Very Helpful Review by the Epinions community Oct 18, 2006
Pros: Heartwarming tale of admiration and achievement.
Cons: Some important questions are left unanswered.
Summary: 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 ... read more
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Rated a Helpful Review by the Epinions community
Aug 27, 2007
Pros: It will fill your heart with joy.
Cons: none
Summary: "The Color of Water" discusses the life of James McBride and his mother, Ruth McBride Jordan. It shows how much racism was alive during the 20th century, and how a white mother raised twelve black children with love, respect, and God. James never met ... read more
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Rated a Very Helpful Review by the Epinions community
Nov 29, 2006
Pros: humor and candor, descriptive voices, quick read
Cons: not enough emotional investment, languid prose, hazy in some areas
Summary: James McBride pens the following segment in the introduction of the tenth anniversary of his best-seller entitled The Color of Water: "As a boy, I never knew where my mother was from -- where she was born, who her parents were. When I asked ... read more
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Rated a Helpful Review by the Epinions community
Apr 19, 2005
Pros: Contrasting views, interesting stories
Cons: "Vulgar" language at times
Summary: James' question to his mom brings up a major theme to this book: "What Color is God?" Ruth replies that God is the color of water, that God has no color. This answer shows that Ruth, a white woman who has married two black men in her life, doesn't ... read more
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Rated a Very Helpful Review by the Epinions community
Jun 24, 2001
Pros: Great book on being a multicultural family. Honest tribute to a white mom.
Cons: I would have enjoyed hearing more of the McBride family stories.
Summary: The schools in this area were integrated the year before I entered first grade. I remember faintly that some community members were very upset about integration, but I never understood why skin color set people apart.
Of course, I did see the ... read more
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Rated a Very Helpful Review by the Epinions community
Feb 18, 2001
Pros: A human story where race is just part of the equation.
Cons: None
Summary: As I stood on the Manhattan subway platform, I watched as a tall, dreadlocked black man prepared to play his steel drum for the throngs of tourists and commuters at the 34th Street Station. Not more than twenty feet away a young Hassidic man dressed in ... read more
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Rated a Somewhat Helpful Review by the Epinions community
Nov 30, 2000
Pros: Just a great read.
Cons: None
Summary: "The Color of Water," by James McBride is the true story of a black man who finds out about his mother's Jewish past. His mother is the daughter of a Rabbi. At a young age, she runs away from her home in Virginia and somehow ends up in Harlem, ... read more
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Rated a Very Helpful Review by the Epinions community
Oct 10, 2000
Pros: Well written
Cons: Wanted to know more about author's siblings
Summary: James McBride describes growing up as one of twelve children of a white mother and black father. He talks about his mother's contributions to his life and coming to terms with his confusion over his own identity. Interwoven is Ruth’s story, born Rachel ... read more
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Rated a Helpful Review by the Epinions community
Sep 19, 2000
Pros: Great style, moving story
Cons: I can't think of any!
Summary: I found this book sitting on the "recommended" shelf of my college bookstore in 1997 and I was intrigued by the title. I too am mixed race (Asian/white) and do not often run across books about the subject. Instinctively I bought the book and ... read more
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Rated a Somewhat Helpful Review by the Epinions community
Sep 13, 2000
Pros: A Book and lesson for everyone
Cons: none
Summary: I heard about this book on the Rosie O'Donnell show when she had the author on he show. I was immediately intrigued by the book. I read each page with great rapture.- this is an INCREDIBLE story. It is the author's story of his mother and all her ... read more
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Rated a Very Helpful Review by the Epinions community
Jul 4, 2000
Pros: Moving on intellectual and emotional level
Cons: You can't put it down
Summary: Before I read "The Color of Water," by James McBride, I saw his appearance on 20/20, discussing his quest to discover the background of his mysterious, marvelous mother. McBride said he didn't even know his mother's maiden name, much less about her ... read more
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Rated a Helpful Review by the Epinions community
Jul 2, 2000
Pros: wonderfully written, makes you appriciate what you have
Cons: hops between his memories to hers
Summary: In "The COlor of Water", a man with a white mother and a black father explores his childhood and delves into his mothers past. Not only is this a story about his life, but it is a tribute to his mother, who basically raised 12 children on her ... read more
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Rated a Somewhat Helpful Review by the Epinions community
Mar 26, 2000
Pros: Great story. Appealing to all
Cons: Author spends too much time on unimportant points and not enough on important points.
Summary: "The Color of Water" by James McBride is an autobiographical tale of McBride's life, as well as his mother's life. The story is a coming-of-age tale in which the author recalls struggle through life, growing up in a house with 12 children ... read more
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Rated a Somewhat Helpful Review by the Epinions community
Jan 28, 2000
Pros: makes one think about what tolerance means to him or her
Cons: Not one
Summary: The Color of Water is not just a book to be read but one to be savored as a commentary on race relations and the need for tolerance. In it, the author, James McBride, recollects what his experiences were growing up in an interracial family while his ... read more
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Rated Show by the Epinions community Jul 31, 2006
Pros: Excellent reading.
Cons: Not a book for the light reader.
Summary: I just finished reading the excellent couldn't-put-down book about one of the most amazing people! James really wrote a great tribute to his Mother. Try to find a mother today who will deny herself (even her heritage for the sake of her children) as
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