About this title: A young black man's search to uncover his white mother's past and his own identity. Born in Poland, the daughter of a rabbi, James McBride's mother grew up in the Southern United States, ran away to Harlem, married a black man and founded a Baptist church, and then proceeded to put 12 children through college. McBride examines her life, his own ...
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Description: Good. 1573225789 Good condition paperback book, may have a few small notes, some creases to spine, some edge/corner rubs, may have corner crease, small edge tear or spine slant, a good book for reading. Shop & Save With US. read more
"In his book, The Color of Water, James McBride tells the story of his mother's life and the story of his own search for identity. It is the remarkably moving story of a young woman who is compelled to leave her home, her family, and her Orthodox Jewish faith and heritage behind her. Rachel Shilsky moves from Virginia to Harlem and marries Dennis McBride, a Christian black man. When her family learns what she has done, the entire family (collateral relatives included) declare Rachel dead and sit shiva. At that point, Rachel realizes that all ties to her past are severed. She becomes a Christian, changes her name to Ruth, and wholeheartedly throws herself into her new life without a backward glance. She founds the New Brown Christian Church in the Red Hook projects in Harlem, and raises twelve outstanding and highly accomplished children.
Ruth's path in life is filled with crises, obstacles and painful situations. But Ruth's journey is one that is driven by love, compassion and determination. Fortunately, Ruth is equipped with a strong will and an amazing insight. When one son asks her the color of God's skin, her response is "God is the color of water". Like everyone else in this world, Ruth makes mistakes and has to deal with personality flaws. This woman does so with (and by) grace.
James McBride shares his personal struggles as well. Throughout the majority of the book, young James grapples with racial identity issues, anger and anxiety. When James loses his stepfather in his early teens, his grief is so profound that he becomes unmoored for a few years. I am mixed race and was raised in a household of conflicting ideologies. I have to say that James McBride puts my feelings about my mixed upbringing into words -- and he gets it right.
I alternately cried and laughed as I worked my way through the final five chapters of the book, its epilogue and afterword. I identified with virtually every sentence. All of us have something to learn from Ruth McBride and her family. This book has my highest recommendations."
"When I first started reading this book, I wondered why my friend had recommended it to me. This true story relates the life experiences of a young Jewish woman who eventually determines to choose a different and unconvential path for her life and is completely disowned by her Jewish family. Some of the events in her youth were difficult to read about, but in the end I came to admire her resiliency and strength. Despite her hardships, her sacrifices and determination on behalf of her 12 children were commendable . . . all of her children graduated from college, many with advanced degrees. This book also gives a realistic look into the lives of poor minorities living in Harlem."
"I enjoyed reading The Color of Water, although I wouldn't rank it one of my favorites. One of the reasons why is because of the author's style, I found that James McBride originally wrote this as a newspaper article and then turned it into a book. So the book reads as if it were written more from a journalist than a novelist.
Although the story itself is very amazing. McBride tells the story of his mother's life and fits his own in-between hers. It's a book that flips back and forth between stories of mother and son. I liked that quality. The story unfolds to focus on his mother's Kosher Jew upbringing and parallels to his own childhood with his eleven brothers and sisters.
We see how Ruth, his mother, greatly influences McBride. She has complete trust in God and places racial issues last. We see McBride as a child struggling with the fact that he has a mother who doesn't look the same as everyone else's (black) mothers because she is white. As he continues to grow up in a time of "Black Power" he and his siblings at one time or another end up in some kind of trouble. Ruth is strong to enforce all her children to remain respectful and work hard. Seeing as she put all eleven of them though the finest education systems possible, no matter what the commute.
As his mother's story ends with the permeant separation from her family and the emergence of her new life in the black community, we see McBride's end with Ruth living close by with annual family reunions and celebrations.
I would suggest reading this book for the story itself."
"This story is about the daughter of an orthodox jewish rabbi who married a black man in 1942. She raised 12 children. Her children grew up not knowing anything about their mother's past. It's written by one of her sons. It is quite an amazing story. Absolutely loved the last chapter. The insights he finds on this journey helps him lay his own demons to rest."
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