"The Color of Water"

For my summer reading, I read The Color of Water by James McBride. The biography deals with the touching life story of Ruth McBride, the author’s mother. James McBride digs deep into his mother’s past. And he is most interested in the origins of his white woman, who raised twelve black children. With her marriage with a black man, Ruth McBride had practically died for her orthodox Jewish family. The outcast young woman had to stand on her own feet and went through a lot of painful experiences, starting with the death of her first husband and ending with the death of her still deeply loved mother. But not only Ruth’s story is told in the book. James McBride also includes his own experience of life and contrasts it with the experiences of his mother.McBride is a composer, saxophonist and author. The passionate musician won the American Music Theatre Festival’s Stephen Sondheim Award in 1993. He worked for several magazines including People, Rolling Stone, Washington Post, Boston Globe and the Philadelphia Inquirer.

In my opinion Ruth’s McBride’s refusal to reveal her past was a way of running away from herself. For a good reason (her father treated her very bad, etc.), she refused to accept where she came from and wanted to ignore her education. When Ruth decided to cut all ties to her past she also decided to never look back again. However, she didn’t realize how this decision would affect her children. They were the first who needed to know who their mother was, in order to discover themselves. I think that Mrs. McBride wanted to start a completely new life when she married, but her case shows that the past will always haunt us even if we want to ignore it. And as her twelve children were a part of her, they were also a part of her past.
Ruth McBride Jordan didn’t want to be identified with Rachel Deborah Shilsky. They were completely different persons. So when Rachel finally got rid of her family, she kind of died and the person who used to be Rachel changed into Ruth. For the family the situation was different as of the time when she decided to go her own way and marry a black man, she had stopped to exist for her relatives. Her family was able to handle Rachel but when she became Ruth she was outcast, and as of this moment on she was dead for them.

I feel that Ruth McBride Jordan’s views of the different races in the world somehow confused her children but also had a positive impact on them. Because she was related to both, black and white people she knew what she was talking about. Her children learned very early, that skin color and the parents´ income do not really matter. When her children were very young, they probably were addled, because no one they knew was as light skinned as their mother was. They didn’t feel belonging to any folks, neither black nor white. No one accepted them, because they weren’t like the others, black or white. Race was important and therefore the people around them could not come to terms with them just as they were. But slowly the McBride children were defiantly able to change people’s attitude as they knew both sides.

I think that the three name changes of James’ mother are synonyms for the three phases of her life. “Ruchel Dwajra Zylska” was a well accomplished young Jewish girl that helped in the household and went to church. The name stands for the time before her marriage and before she realized what a life she was actually living. “Rachel Deborah Shilsky” already knew she didn’t want to be imprisoned in her own home any longer, but loved her mother and sister too much to protest. She began to rebel by seeing a black man but still lived with her parents and didn’t want anybody to know. But with the third change of name she finally decided to leave this life behind and start over as a new person.

Tateh’s and Ruth’s child-rearing styles were completely different, except for the fact that they both had high requirements for their children. The biggest difference between the two was probably that Ruth combined strict rules with love; Tateh on the contrary only loved himself and often acted very selfishly. It seemed like Ruth always wanted the best for her kids. And most importantly she wanted them to have a better childhood than she had without teaching them to be thankful for what they’ve got. Even though Ruth and her husband hadn’t much money they tried to get the best education for their children in order to prepare them for the future. They knew that their children would not have an easy life due their colored skin and other peoples’ ruthlessness. Despite her strictness James’ mother still accepted her kids as they were while Tateh however left no room for his children’s desire for individualism.

James McBride never knew his roots until his mother told him about her Jewish origin and the troubles she went through with her family. He always knew that he and his siblings were different from the others but he never knew exactly why. Than finally his mother finally came to terms with her past and was able to help James to understand his own origins. Even though he never thought he’d have a connection with Jewry, he now knows that he has roots in this culture. Knowing his mother’s story he can better understand her and her acting in the past, and therefore he also better understands himself.

Water does not have any color. It can be everything, from deep blue to turquoise. It has millions of colors. When James’ mother tells him: “God is the color of water.” she wants to clarify that there’s not a better color his skin could have and that it doesn’t matter. He is who he is and people should learn to deal with that. No matter what race or religion, it should at least be respected. Pretending the world is an ocean and the water in it are human beings, there would be so many different places and as the places are different the people in it are, too. They are colored or white, they have different opinions and religions. There would be also places like America, where they have millions of different people. And they all have to get along and learn that people may look different or may have a different religion but still can be good persons. I think the biggest and best vision one could have is that one day people will accept each other and that everybody gets the same chances.

James McBride first perceived the racial issues about him and his family on his first day of school. He noticed that his mother looked different than all the other mothers that were bringing their children to school. From this day on he always felt that he had to protect his mother. James’ family mostly had dealings with black people, so he felt safe among them. But he always went to white people’s schools, so he was always the “strange looking” guy. People were treating him differently because of his dark skin.

In my opinion this is a very interesting book, and not a conventional biography. First I was a little bit confused because it contains a lot of information and is very complex but while reading I captured also the information between the lines. For me the most interesting aspect of the book is not just Ruth McBride Jordan’s life story, but how she deals with it and how her experiences have shaped her life. I also like the two different levels of the narration. In one chapter you read how James’ mother tells him her story, and the next one deals with James account of events. It’s a very captivating book but also sad. I got very thoughtful while reading it. I would recommend it, because I think this book is about a very important topic. And everybody should make up his or her mind about it. Racism is still a big problem in the world and I think books like this help people to open their eyes and see things from another perspective.

Yara H.

The Color of Water - Grant DeMello

The Color of Water by James McBride is a memoir of his and his mother's life. James was an African American boy who spent most of his life growing up in the projects of New York. His mother, Ruth, was a white Jewish woman who spent much of her childhood in Suffolk, Virginia and who dedicated the rest of her life to raising her twelve black children. The Color of Water won many literary awards, as well as spending more than two years on the bestseller list. James wrote only two other books, Miracle at St. Anna, and Song Yet Sung. He worked as a staff writer for several newspapers and magazines. Aside from his literary honors, James has received several awards for his work as a composer and is an accomplished saxophonist. In The Color of Water, James vividly details the struggles of his life and revisits the shadowed childhood of his mother.

Ruth McBride is reluctant to reveal her past because it was such a hard time for her to recall. Whenever her children ask about her childhood, she avoids the question because she wants them to have pride in who they are and to not worry about what other people think of them. She doesn't want them to be ashamed of their mothers Jewish heritage or the fact that she is white living in predominately black areas of New York. This makes the children's' lives like a clean slate. They have to make their own name for themselves and ignore any prejudices they may encounter throughout their lives.

At the beginning of the story, James asks Ruth about her family. She tells him that she is "dead" to them. She is trying to say that she has completely turned away from her childhood, and who she used to be doesn't exist anymore. This is like her way of forgetting everything that happened as she was growing up because it was such a hard time for her. She believes that when she left her family, she became a new person altogether, and that was her outlook on the rest of her life.


Ruth McBride's contradictions were definitely not intended for the sole purpose of confusing her children. They were just her set of beliefs that only seemed to contradict each other because of her mixed background with different races, religions, and social standings. It's not like they contradict each other so much that they don't make sense, because when you read them and think about it, they are perfectly logical. They definitely contribute to the view of humanity that both James and Ruth McBride possess.

Ruth McBride's birth name is Ruchel Dwajra Zylska. It is a very Jewish name which made it hard for Ruth to fit in as a child because Jews were looked down upon in Suffolk while she was growing up. She changed it to Rachel Deborah Shilsky in hopes to fit in more at her school which was already sunning her. Although it was a more American name, it did not make her life any easier or better. When she left her family and moved to New York, she changed her name for the last time to Ruth. This is significant because it serves as the point in her life when she completely closes herself off from her family and her old life in the south and begins her new life.

Both Tateh and Ruth ran their homes in a "tyrannical" manner, but Ruth was more successful, even with eleven children to raise, then her father. The difference between them was that Tateh had no love for his family. He was very controlling and demanding. He molested Ruth when she was young and was feared by his family. For that reason Ruth ran away from home and never came back, despite Her father telling her not to leave. Ruth, however, loved her children, and led them with complete authority, but also kindness and unconditional love. She was able to make ends meet even when times were tough. Ruth must have used her father's child-raising techniques as an example of how to NOT raise a child because there are no visible similarities between the two styles of parenting.

When James finally grows up, and his mother begins to tell him about her past life, many of his questions that have gone unanswered for so many years are beginning to be answered. He had always wondered about his mother's identity, and by going back to her hometown and learning how she lived, he is able to fill in the proverbial blanks in his past and in Ruth's childhood. When he met some of the people who knew Ruth when he was young in Suffolk, he learns that when she left home she became a completely different person.


The title of the book, The Color of Water, is important in regards to race and religion. When Ruth first uses the phrase, she is talking to James about Heaven. She tells him that in heaven people are the color of water. That is the best way for a young child like James to understand that race is nothing more than the color of someones skin, and on the inside everyone is equal. It gives Americans the vision that when you look beyond race, everyone is the same and everyone deserves equal chances and shouldn't be judged by skin color.


Throughout his life, James meets and learns about people in his life that serve as role models in his or someone Else's life. He also learns how historical events changed his family's life. When he goes back to the south to learn about his mother, he finds out that her brother was killed in World War II. Also, he meets many black men that use the acts of Jackie Robinson as inspiration for their everyday lives, including his father. Another major historical event that played a major role in James life was the civil rights revolution. It made somewhat of a divide between his family. His mother, although white, lived with and preferred the ways of black Americans. However, she could not stand some of the civil rights movements and talks and became angry when her children would ask about it at home.

I enjoyed reading this book because it makes you think about how lucky you are to not have to deal with some of the troubles that James McBride went through, but at the same time you are able to relate to some of the things he talks about. i would definitely recommend this book to anyone.

- Grant DeMello

The Color of Water

The novel “The Color of Water” by James McBride chronicles both his and his mother’s lives while growing up. James McBride is an award-winning author and a successful musical composer. His only other novel is “Miracle at St. Anna”. McBride was born into the Red Hook Projects in Brooklyn. His mother led a much different life as a Jewish girl growing up before WWII in Poland until she and her family moved to America during her teenage years. “The Color of Water” skips between recounting both he and his mother’s experiences while growing up in times of such tension.

When James first asked his mother about her life, she quickly refuses him. She tells him that if he had asked her father for an interview, he would have dropped dead of a heart attack so as to avoid it. She recounts her family ties and her early life somewhat bitterly, possibly because she grew up in an immigrant family during tense times. Because of her attitude and refusal to reveal her past to her children, they do not quite understand their mother. They know her, and they know her name, but they don’t really know anything about her. However, this is somewhat positive because they do not know that their family is much different from most of the other ones.

During her first interview session with James, Ruth McBride tells him that she is “dead”. She says this because it is quite true in her family’s eyes. They thought her dead the moment that she married a black man in an unarranged and unapproved marriage. This relates to her identity as a person because she has been outcast by her own people and does not associate with them. Because of this, she does not really fit one race or another; she immersed herself in African-American culture but still retains some of her Orthodox Jewish heritage.

Ruth McBride was a woman of many mixed and conflicting views. These contributed to further confusing her children. However, these contradictions also show that she has a balanced view of society. She believes that she is too good to go on welfare but she also “champions” those who do submit to it. She despises white people and believes they are evil to blacks and people who associate with them yet sends her children to a white school to get a good education. It shows that even though she does not like the way her society works, she submits to it where it may benefit her children as long as it does not take away from her pride.

Throughout her life, Ruth changes her name twice. This reflects her alienation from her culture and acceptance of other cultures. She was born Ruchel Dwarja Zylska, but changed her name to Rachel Deborah Shilsky when she first moved to America with her family. This was because they needed to have more American-type names in order to easily fit in with a new culture. Her second name change was much different though. Instead of doing it in order to have an easier life, it was because she wanted to fit in with the African-Americans but still have a normal “white name”.

Ruth and her father ran their household in much the same way: tyrannically. However, Ruth succeeded while her father did not. This was because Ruth showed no weakness to her children and made them believe that nobody is better than anyone else. Her father was very gruff and did not believe in showing any affection, or kindness for that matter, towards his family. Ruth, on the other hand, let her children know that she cherished them and did show some affection towards this. Her children respected her, the same as she respected her father, but her children also loved her, something she did not feel much towards her father. However, she was also much more strict than her father, and because of this her children were afraid to disobey her. They would always listen to her and wouldn’t dare to cross her.

James McBride’s recounting of his mother’s life greatly helps him in finding his own identity. He learns more about her and understands her more than he ever thought he would when he was a boy. He learns that she was born and raised Jewish but later converted to Christianity. The main thing that he learned from his mother was that you can’t submit to society and take the easy way out. His mother did not take help or charity even when she needed it most. She was a very strong woman and influenced her children greatly. James finally understands his roots and that he is not completely black despite the fact that he was raised that way, albeit by a white Jewish woman from Poland.

The title of this novel, “The Color of Water” is very significant with James’ struggle to find his identity as well as with regards to questions of race and religion. Water’s color depends on how one views it. It can be gray, to blue, to green, to even red sometimes. James’ view of himself racially is like this in a way. He does not really know exactly what he is. He’s a black man, but his mother is a white woman. He does not understand how this had happened for quite a while. However, James overcomes these obstacles and eventually does find himself and his true identity.

In my opinion, “The Color of Water” was a very exceptional novel. It tells the amazing stories of how both James McBride and his mother, Ruth, overcame cultural and personal obstacles in their lives. It showed the conflict faced by the American people when racial tensions spiked and McBride gives an amazing account of his experiences during these tough times. “The Color of Water” is really two stories in one because it chronicles both James’ and his mother’s harsh lives growing up, though for different reasons. It is a remarkable memoir about racial tensions and growing up during such hard times.

-Quint B.

The Color of Water

The Color of Water, is a story written by James McBride. James McBride was born in 1957 in New York. He was the son of Andrew McBride and Ruth McBride Jordan. His father was African American and his mother was a Jewish immigrant from Poland. James McBride attended Oberlin College. James McBride was a jazz saxophonist, a producer, and a composer. He was also a journalist for Washington Post, Boston Globe, and People. James McBride was also a freelance writer.

Ruth McBride, the mother of James McBride refuses to reveal her past to her twelve children in the story The Color of Water. She refuses to talk about her past because as a child her father was abusive to her and her mother. Her refusal to talk about her past to her children helped them become there own person and made them understand what was important in life. It made them realize that race and religion didn't make a difference on how they viewed someone.

Ruth McBride Jordan begins her story by telling her son that she is "dead" because she had to change her identity and start over as a child. As a child Ruth McBride's identity was taken from her. The fact of her identity being taken means she is no one. So Ruth McBride's telling of her story to her son saying she is "dead" is saying she had no life as a child cause of her father being abusive and taking her identity from her.

"Mommy's contradictions crashed and slammed against one another like bumper cars at Coney Island. White folks, she felt were implicitly evil toward blacks, yet she forced us to go to white schools to get the best education. Blacks could be trusted more, but anything involving blacks was probably standard... She was against welfare and never applied for it despite our need, but championed those who availed themselves of it." These contradictions, I think contributed somehow to the balanced view of humanity that James McBride possesses. It contributes to his view of humanity because from not knowing his mother's past, helped him understand his identity as being racial, religious, and social.

Ruth changes her name multiple times in The Color of Water. She changes her name from "Ruchel Dwajra Zylska" to "Rachel Deborah Shilsky" to "Ruth McBride Jordan" during the story. Each of the name changes are significant to her life and how she lived. Her name changes made her fit in with the society she lived in. She moved from Poland to American and changed her name to a more American name. As she converted from Judaism to Christianity, she made her name more of a Christian name.

Ruth was head of her household just like her father was the head of his household. Although they both were head of there households, Ruth succeeded in running hers and her father didn't. The reason Ruth was successful in being head of the house was because she cared about her children. She wanted her children to have the best education. Her father wasn't successful because he didn't care about anything or anyone but himself. Their child-rearing styles were different, but were also the same in some ways. Their styles were different from each other because, her father didn't care about his children and made there decisions for them and on the other hand Ruth cared about her children and wanted nothing but the best for them and allowed them to make there own decisions and mistakes and let them learn from that. The styles of Ruth and her father were the same because they both controlled the house and ran it.

During The Color of Water James McBride's recounting of his mother's life helps him to discover himself and answer questions of race and identity, which had troubled him throughout his life. It helps him find his identity as a person. He becomes influenced by his mother's past and it allowed him to understand other races, religions, and social identities.

The title of the book The Color of Water is significant with the respect of race and religion and many ways. The title is significant because God was mentioned to be The Color of Water and that describes how races and religions are. This vision offers Americans to understand all the different races and religions in the world and how they live and work.

In the book, the lives of McBride and his family members are marked by historical events and people related to race relations in the United States. McBride perceives some of those people and events by being influenced by the African Americans during his time that made their self famous for their actions. He became Influenced by African Americans such as, Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, and the Black Panthers.

I think this book was a very good choice for summer reading. I learned a lot from this book. In my opinion this book was very inspiring for me cause i learned about how important different races and religions are. I recommend this book for anyone who wants to know more about race and religion and how important they are to people in the world.










Drew Y.

Summer Reading

Summer Reading

The Color of Water, by James McBride is a story about a family, past and present, trying to fit into American society. The main character and author, James, was born and raised in New York City. He was a graduate of The Oberlin Conservatory of Music in Ohio. He is a musician, artist, and writer creating many musical pieces and the novel “Miracle at Saint Anna” which was made into a movie. Throughout the autobiography, James learned about his mother’s horrific past while traveling through the steps of his life. It was a sad story of living in poor conditions, turmoil, and death.

In the story, the single, white mother, Ruth McBride, refuses to reveal her past to her twelve black children in order to create a sense of importance. By doing this many of the children became involved with the civil rights movements and also moved on to become widely known doctors and scientists. Throughout the book Ruth‘s contradicting views of whites and blacks greatly influenced her children, especially James. Because of his mother’s views, James became a non-prejudice person towards all races and helped instill a sense of peace into James.

Identity is a major part of The Color of Water. For instance, Ruth McBride started the book off by writing to her son stating “I’m dead.” This statement means she has no identity. Her identity was taken from her by her verbally abusive, greedy father as a child. Also, Mrs. McBride’s name was changed from “Ruchel Dwajra Zylska” to “Rachel Deborah Shilsky” to “Ruth McBride Jordan.” I believe this was done to cut all ties from her miserable childhood. Each name change helped Ruth pull further and further apart from her father’s tyrannical grip in his household. Discovering his mother’s history also helped James discover his true identity. Answering all his questions that troubled James throughout the book, helped him gain a sense of pride about his white out of place mother. Not until then did he truly understand where his mother’s beliefs came from.

In the book Ruth, like her father, was the absolute ruler of her household. However, unlike her father, Ruth succeeded in controlling her household while her father did not. This was because Ruth loved her family. Her dad on the other hand only loved money and nothing else. Her child-rearing was different in that she appointed the oldest child in charge while she was gone. On the other hand Ruth’s father was in charge all the time. Similarly Ruth and her dad had complete control.

The Color of Water was significant in itself. It helped express McBride’s views of race and religion. There is no color in water; thus meaning James believed there are no blacks or whites, nor Jews or Christian’s just humans. The book setting was in the sixties, a time where segregation was a large part of society. McBride thought that the new and changing world was a dangerous place through his childhood. Major events and people placed fear into his life not for himself but for his white mother.

When water is held up to the light there is no color, no pigmentation. The premise of this book is to instill a sense of equality between all races and religions. People should not be judged by their skin tone but by their actions. All should be treated with the same respect and honor.

Out of my entire summer reading, The Color of Water was by far the best book I read. It was a story with many positive and negative events and moments. The book brought a new light to the sixties, the Great Depression, and the conflict between the white man and black man. It is really two different life stories put in one well-known, well-written book. This book is and should always be a staple of schooling around the nation.

Luke R.

The Color of Water Essay

James McBride, author of “The Color of Water” and many other great novels. He also worked as a journalist for several companies such as Rolling Stone, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, and People Magazine. James McBride’s “The Color of Water” retells his life as a black boy along with his mother’s life as a white woman and how she raised her 12 black children in prejudice America. The story unravels his mother’s secretive life as a lonely Jewish girl.
Ruth, James’s mother, never spoke of her past to her children. This perhaps was an attempt at forgetting her past and to keep the kids focused on what they had to do with their life. Though, in the last chapter she seems content about her life, as if everything that had happened in her life was nothing but a story she had once read. Also in not telling them, she helps them to find themselves instead of finding her. They know that they are alive and that that is all that matters.
Ruth begins to tell her story by stating that she is “dead.” When she says this, she is referring to her existence in the eyes of her Jewish family. When she married a black man and took in the religion of Christianity, they saw her as dead and shunned her. This tells her son James that she is no longer the person she used to be, but a new person entirely.
Ruth had many contradictions on life, like how she felt that whites were cruel towards whites while she sent her kids to all-white schools and how blacks were the kinder people though she still believed that anything involving blacks was most likely substandard. These contradictions were truthful to her, and they were all donators to her children’s rearing. She knew that in the society they lived in, the best education would be in white schools, so she knew that she must send them there. Also, she had a “live and let live” policy towards life and she knew that many black organizations could be all violence and could harm her children.
When Ruth was young, she changed her name 3 times. Her birth name was “Ruchel Dwajra Zylska”. When she moved to America her name was changed to “Rachel Deborah Shilsky.” Later when she turned 19 she changed her name to Ruth, and after her 2 marriages, her name became “Ruth McBride Jordan”. She changed her name at 19 as a symbolic way of showing her rebirth into a new life. She was no longer a Jewish girl in the Shilsky family, but was a Christian woman running the McBride and Jordan family.
Ruth’s father, called “Tateh”, and Ruth herself both ran their families is a “tyrannical” way. The difference between the two is that Ruth succeeded in raising her family while Tateh failed. Ruth cared deeply for her children, unlike Tateh who only saw them as workers for his shop. She wanted her children to have the best education so that they could make it in the world on their own. She loved her kids while her father did not really care for his. Ruth and Tateh both enforced their rule though, they expected their kids to listen to them and to respect them. In a way, they were kind of alike.
When James finds out more of his mother’s past, he sees that despite her skin color, she is like black people in the way she was raised. She too had to deal with prejudice and racism for being Jewish. He realizes that being black really doesn’t matter, people are people no matter what their religion or skin color is. He finds a sense of comfort in knowing his past and his roots, knowing that not only is he part black but also part Jewish and part white.
In one part of the novel, James asks his mother what color God is in his confusion of race. Ruth replies, “He is the color of water.” Water has no color, and neither does God. This shows that in God’s eyes, color isn’t important. God is not black or white God is who he is. The same goes for people. One is not simply black or white, he is what he makes himself to be. God loves all people the same in her eyes, and people should do the same.
James uses historical references to describe the racial tensions in the US and the relations to race. He makes references to Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, Bob Gibson, and many other famous black people in that time. These people mark the end of segregation and the beginning of change. Many famous black athletes and musicians arose, giving inspiration to James. These people also affected his siblings` behavior and the views of the United States on racism.
The book was very interesting, it is rare to have an interesting summer reading book. I highly recommend this book to anyone, especially those who are trying to find who they are. I thoroughly enjoyed it and how it switched off from James’s life story to his mom’s. This novel enabled you to dive into the lives of two different worlds in the 1900s of the US, when racism was prominent. It is a story about knowing who you are.
Makenzie Matthews

The Color of Water

The Color of Water, by James McBride, gives a historical insight of a black family ran by a white mother. “James is a native New Yorker and a graduate of New York City public schools. He studied composition at The Oberlin Conservatory of Music in Ohio and received his Masters in Journalism from Columbia University in New York at age 22. He holds several honorary doctorates and is currently a Distinguished Writer in Residence at New York University. He is married with three children.” The Color of Water is a novel of a banished-white-Jewish woman married twice telling her life’s story of bringing her black children into a racist world. The family suffers through grief, the struggles of staying together, racism, values being tested, and perseverance. James McBride reveals his mothers family torn past and her never ceasing array of misfortune and fortune in life. (www.jamesmcbride.com).
Ruth was obviously embarrassed about her past, a majority of the time she concealed her history from her children always avoiding the subject. She felt ashamed of being exiled from her hardcore Jewish family, having an abortion, and being a failure at life in her teen and early adulthood years. However, by concealing her past it gives the children a much confused placement in the real world. By not knowing your family’s history it gives you an uneasy feeling of being displaced with everyone else in society. This is a special case given the fact the mom is white and the children are black and the fact that many disliked Jews complicated matters. The children felt unique, different, and unordinary from the normal cycle of society. When Ruth broke from her Jewish traditions and family her family members considered her “dead” or separate from the family. Ruth’s old Jewish identity is dead…gone. Her new identity is a new revolutionized Christian woman with zero ties from her Jewish family. From my own opinion, that is also why she doesn’t talk about her past. When her family considered her dead, that also means her everything from that point before is also dead. Ruth then separated herself from her “dead” Jewish past and onward towards a new life with a different history. She now has a new identity.
They contributed to the balanced view of humanity that James McBride possesses. Ruth gives her children both points of view from two different sides of the situation. She teaches her children the original principles and good intentions at first at how life was. There are always going to be pros and cons towards any situation. White people may have been racist, but they held top quality schools while blacks maybe more trustworthy, but do not have the same necessities as the white man. It teaches the children the craziness of the world. Sometimes things just don’t make sense, but that you can’t change what is…and that is the natural craziness cycle of human society. The changes to her name are significant because it reveals her transformation of her as a person and her beliefs. When Ruth was “Ruchel Dwajra Zylska” she abided by the Jewish law and to her family. She was strictly Jewish and was forced to put her family and duties first before anything else. When it went from “Ruchel Dwajra Zylsk” to “Rachel Deborah Shilsky”, it went from a Jewish name to a more American fitting name. Ruth became more American like in society and rebellious against Tateh. This is the beginning of her transformation from separating herself from her Jewish ties. When it went from “Rachel Deborah Shilsky” to “Ruth McBride Jordan”, this is the final transformation. Ruth at this point has completely separated herself from her Jewish family and is leading a new life severing her ties to her Jewish family.
Ruth succeeded because she allowed more freedom and was able to instill family values. Ruth loved and cared for her children while Tatheh did not. Ruth ran her household by having her children learn to depend on each other. She used the “King/Queen System” and thus instilling respecting to the eldest of children and respect towards one another. Ruth was demanding, but fair at how things were brought up and organized. She was open to opinion rather than making everyone does what she says. She did do that most of the time, but was lenient and flexible to making changes to what the children liked. Tateh failed because he was strict and didn’t care about his family. He believed that the family should concentrate on their shop business and nothing else. He had no sympathy towards his family, especially his wife. By discovering his family’s past history it lets James McBride give a feel of his place in society. It answers all the questions that have been avoiding him in his life. It allows him to know who he is as a person. He is black, but does have residing Jewish heritage in him as well. James is a mixed person with his own identity; he fits in with white people, but just as well as black people. James is a hybrid.
The title of the book in reference to race and religion means that everyone despite color and different beliefs are equal. There may be different variations in what people believe, but the basis and values of each religion are very similar into what everyone believes. The vision offered to Americans is that everyone in the world will be equal. There will be no hatred, racism, or prejudice to another person because of slightly different beliefs or the color of their skin. Water has no color, therefore in my own opinion, that when we all die, color doesn’t matter and everyone has the opportunity to gain entry into heaven. Color doesn’t matter. When James was a young boy, he didn’t like the Black Panther group. He felt that his mother was in danger because she was white. When he was filing into a school bus to go to a camp, he noticed that one of the fathers was a Black Panther. He was instantly scared and punched the Black Panther’s son. James feared and disliked the Black Panther organization.
The novel was very informative on the struggles of what the McBride family went through. It also gave multiple insight opinions of what people thought on certain situations in the book. I’m touched and bewildered by what Ruth had to go through in her life and the hardships the family faced. I recommend this book to anyone that has suffered through hardships and look to this book as a sign of hope to the future.

William Fancher

The Color of Water by James McBride

The search for one's self relies heavily on knowing where you came from and the presence of family love, according to James McBride in his memoir The Color of Water. James McBride spent most of his childhood growing up in the Red Hook District of Brooklyn and is the eighth of twelve children. He received his bachelor's degree from Oberlin College and his master's degree in journalism from Columbia University. His memoir explores the struggle of discovering his true self as a person of mixed-race, his love and respect for his mother, his family history, and his realization that members of every race and religion go through hardships.

Ruth McBride's refusal to reveal her past may be viewed by some as a mother simply not wanting to re-visit those painful years, or that she had forgotten most of it since she had closed the door tightly upon it years ago. Ruth McBride describes herself as "dead" in the beginning of the book, and by this she means that the Jewish part of her life is completely dead in her and that she is considered "dead" to her Jewish family as well. Ruth McBride was an intelligent woman who most likely did not reveal her past to her children in an attempt to try to keep her family life clean of any room for racial or religious assumptions made by society that could be brought in by her children. Yet such large, mixed-race families as the McBride-Jordan family was unfamiliar to the public eye during the 20th century, and society judged the family wherever they went together, even if that judgment was subconscious. Since Ruth had past experiences of hatred towards her mixed-race marriage and family, she most likely realized that allowing her children from an early age to discover that their mother came from a white, Jewish family background would only damage them more. They would begin to listen to others' prejudices and assumptions on members of the Jewish faith, as well as judgments made upon African-Americans. Teaching her children that race and her personal past didn't matter was in effort to teach them that all people should be judged by their actions, morals, and ideas. That is why Ruth explained to James that he was the same hue as the "color of water;" water has no color, which means that he should view himself as having no color and identify with people regardless of what their skin looks like. In reality, Ruth's concealment of her past still did not stop her children from questioning their racial identity once they began to notice differences in their family's skin color. Most of her children struggled with this issue, and James, who strongly focused on the question of his racial identity, began to question his identity as a human being and his place in society. He recollects how in time, all of his mother's children began to slowly crack the wall their mother had set up between the family and society, James McBride states:
"We did not consider ourselves poor or deprived, or depressed, for the rules of the outside world seemed meaningless to us as children. But as we grew up and fanned out into the world as teenagers and college students, we brought the outside world home with us, and the world that Mommy had so painstakingly created began to fall apart." (McBride 95)

Ruth's children still had many life experiences, both good and bad, and many of her children identified with the African-American culture, because of their darker skin color. Although the author does not share if his siblings' stance on race changed, James does make it clear later in his memoir that as his life went on he was very grateful for being the child of a white, formerly Jewish mother and a black father because it allowed him to look at the members of different races and religions in a much more balanced light.

At one point in McBride's novel, he addresses views he observed from his mother as contradictions, such as:
"White folks, she felt were implicitly evil toward blacks, yet she forced us to go to white schools to get the best education. Blacks could be trusted more, but anything involving blacks was probably substandard...She was against welfare and never applied for it despite our need, but championed those who availed themselves of it."
Although these views confused James at a young age, they later taught him that white schools often have better education, because they have more sufficient funding, and that materialistically, what blacks had to offer was most likely substandard, because most did not have the money or privilege to have anything above that. This helped James have a more balanced view towards the world by understanding that outside and/or indirect racism affects many situations that he has no control over. That is why he was sent to white schools, and his mother refused to accept welfare, because she wanted to prove self-sufficiency and preserve pride. Emotionally, Ruth had to learn to become self-sufficient since birth since love was never concretely expressed within her family, and upon leaving Suffolk after high school and moving to New York, she quickly learned to develop self-sufficiency financially as well. With each name change Ruth went through in her past, she gained more control over her own life and moved farther away from her old one.
Ruth grew up in a very strict Orthodox Jewish household, and went thorough many hardships, such as watching her father's cruelty towards her mother in insults and apathy, his obsession with money, his affair with another woman, and his molestation of her as a child. Tateh ran his household like a cruel tyrant with no concern for anyone other than himself, and most of his family ended up running away or dying. Ruth ran her household with a firm hand but was successful in her child rearing because of how she organized a hierarchical family structure along with her family rules. Both Tateh and Ruth expected their children to follow all of their rules and had no tolerance for broken ones going unpunished, yet Ruth was successful because she did not emotionally abuse her family, and although she was the supreme ruler of the household, she allowed older siblings to have power over others when she was gone; this tactic allowed younger siblings to have a position of power to work up to and older siblings in charge to feel a sense of responsibility, but also pride of their power and mother's trust in them.

Learning more about his mother's past was what James McBride tried to ignore when possible when he was younger, and as he grew older he found himself running from many things, always feeling he had to discover himself by finding which was his stronger passion: writing or playing music. Once Ruth finally revealed the full story of her Jewish past to him, he was overwhelmed, yet did not feel the urge to run anymore. McBride had never truly known his mother, sure he knew her morals and limitations, but he never knew about her childhood, or even much of his father. With discovering Ruth's past, James felt a huge a shift in his sense of self and it heavily changed his perspective. He came to realize that everyone goes through similar struggles and experiences, regardless of their race or religion. The McBride-Jordan family thrived on love, the family never had a depletion of that essential element, although they were often lacking in other essentials of life, McBride develops a healthy attitude towards prejudices in his later years, realizing that love is the only thing that truly holds a family together, and that family love exists in every culture there is.

I felt that this book was very inspiring and would be beneficial to all readers to help educate themselves on the issue of racism and the journey of discovering who they truly are, and feeling satisfied with what they discover. For readers who enjoy this book, I recommend the Autobiography of Malcolm X.

- Anna L.

*Note: My block quotes would not show up on this type of document. They are still in my essay, just not correctly spaced on the blog.

The Color of Water

The Color of Water written by James Mcbride is an intriguing book. James is well known for writing this book as well as Song Yet Sung and Miracle At St. Anna. The Color of Water shows the authors struggle to understanding his Jewish mother and racial concerns. His mother , Ruth, Married a black man, Dennis, and had a total of eight kids with him and later had four kids with Hunter Jordan. James was Dennis' last child and James was not born until after Dennis had died with lung cancer. Ruth went to her family for support, but they refused because she left them and they decided not to be apart of her life any more. All of his siblings leave after being accepted into colleges and later have successful careers.

Ruth Mcbride's refusal to reveal her past showed that her past really affected her. She does not want her kids to be racial like her parents were. Ruth tends to blind them from that life style and allow them to grow up making there own decisions in life.She is dead in that her identity is swallowed by her love for her children because her earlier life was totally against Ruth's beliefs and that is how she is "dead" in that her children are her life and no one else. These contradictions that Ruth has confused her children as they were young, but later as they matured they realized how hard she tried not to have to rely on others. This gave James his humanity to work hard and be the best he could be.

Ruth's three name changes signifies her three different lives. With each name came a different belief as well as a different way of life. She went from being Polish Jewish were she was welcomed by her family to marrying a none Jew and being disowned from her family. She then decided along with Dennis to convert to Christianity.

Tateh is stuck on his beliefs and the way he was raised. He is to stubborn to see the real world. Ruth succeeded in life because she was able to look into the world and make her own decisions no matter what the cost. They both encourage there children to succeed. Tateh made his kids choices for them and Ruth took what she had learned and allowed her kids to be confused and question everything and this taught them to make there own decisions. James' mother shows him how being racial limits you through life. She teaches them to pay no mind to there outside qualities, but there inner as well such as she did as a child. James had a difficult time with his decision on what to do because his mother allowed her kids to decide unlike her parents who forced upon their kids on how life was going to go.

The title of the book The Color of Water says allot about race and religion. God is known to be the color of water and accepts any race under any religion. There are so many races and religions that makes up the color of the water. Water has no defined shape or color, therefore there is no wrong or right way to live ones life. This is the vision it offers to me as well as many , a world of many opportunities and challenges.

James views people and events that are marked in this novel to be ignorant. He believed that writing this book would help him answer his questions, which it has but not all of them. People are blinded by whats around them and that influences them. James wants people to realize life for what it is and not for what it may give you.

This book really taught me allot. It made me realize allot more about this world and what decisions are to be made. The Color of Water opened my eyes to the world especially on religion. I have been raised to be a Christian and i want to explore other religions as well as races to i can educate myself to make decisions on my own. I recommend this book to anyone. Even if one has already made their decisions, but do not be afraid that this book will change ones mind. The Color of Water will only open ones eyes to the world in which is inhabited by humans of all kinds.

Adam F.

The Color of Water

I did it

Preston M.

The Color of Water is a very intriguing novel about two people sharing their life story. James and Ruth McBride were those two people. James was an African American boy who had a white mother. Ruth was Jewish girl who had a rabbi as a father. Around the 1920’s to be biracial was frowned upon and not seen too often. However, Ruth had a different opinion about it and was different from all the other people. She fell in love with an African American man and married him. Soon after that she began to have kids which added up to twelve. The author of this book is James McBride. He is an award winning writer, musician, and composer. He was a staff writer for The Boston Globe, People magazine, and The Washington Post. His book, The Color of Water, sold more than 1.3 million copies in the United States. It has been published in sixteen different languages and is in more than twenty countries. It was an ALA Notable Book of the year and spent more than two years on the Bestseller list. This book was made to explain James’ struggle and confusion growing up as a biracial boy.

Ruth McBride’s refusal to reveal her past says a lot about her. She was ashamed of her past and made sure her children’s lives were going to be better. Her childhood was not an easy one. Her father sexually abused her and she could do nothing about it. She was always demanded around to do some sort of work for him. Therefore, she kept it in and instead of dwelling, she made sure they had the best future cut out for them. Ruth made sure they got the best education (whether it was a black or white school) and had the best grades they could to get into colleges. Ruth McBride begins telling her son that she is dead because to her family, she is nothing. She left her family to move to New York and start a new life with her soon to be African American husband. Not many people knew about that and she had to keep it a secret. So, there is no better way to describe that she was dead because her father were to find out, he would of killed him and herself. She was a Jewish girl who was only supposed to marry another Jew. This relates to her identity because it explains how she lives her life. Its not by what others told her to do, it was by what she thought was right for her.

The contradictions of Ruth McBride were not served to confuse her children, but to make them aware of her knowledge about race, education, and politics. She told those twelve children how it was in her eyes and to her that’s all they needed to know. Don’t believe what everyone believes is a strong phase that I think she used also. In a sense, it does contribute to the view of humanity because it is the opposite of what all the rest of the people thought, making it balanced. For example, in those times being biracial or seeing a biracial couple was not okay. However, Ruth was the opposite. She thought that African Americans were nicer than white people because no one gave them a chance, but she had a chance to see what was actually behind it. All the other people just believed what they heard and did what they were told. Ruth McBride was a brave woman for going extremely out of the box by becoming a biracial family.

Out of her three names, each one played a different phase in her life. Ruchel Dwajara Zylska was the name she was born with and what her parents named her. However, it was a very Jewish name and people picked up on it. So her family then came up with Rachel Deborah Shilsky which was to cover up her Jewish name. It stuck with her all through her teenage and upcoming years until she married. Later on her name changed to Ruth McBride Jordan when she married the African American man. She then had an identity change because her background was a Jew and now she had become a biracial couple that people frowned upon. As one could tell, it seemed that Ruth McBride went through different chapters in her life.

Ruth succeed because she got away from the ugly pain that she had as a child. Her father, Taheh, was a very selfish and non-loving person. He only cared about his shop, money, and himself. It was like he did not even have a wife because he treated her so poorly that Ruth was always the one taking care of her. Her mother was cripple, but she did everything she could do to make Taheh happy, but that never worked. He tried to get a divorce from her, but she declined it every time. If that were to happen she would have nothing. Ruth hated her father and what he did, but always did what she was told because she did not want to face the consequences later. Again, Ruth succeed by doing everything she could to help, but in the end could not take it any longer. Tateh failed at what seemed like everything he did. Being a father, husband, and a rabbi. However, their parenting was alike in one way and that was education. Tateh wanted her to go to school, but always wanted her to work after. Ruth made sure that all of her children were going to go to the best schools and get the best education that she could have for them. Unlike Tateh, she cared about their future and what it was going to bring.

All of James McBride’s life his mother kept her past to herself and only told what she wanted. She seemed so ashamed and depressed of it that I think she did not want to bring her children down too. So, that’s why she strived for the best with their lives. James discovers himself because he finally found where he came from and his background. When he was little he was always trying to figure out if he was white or black because his mother was white and he was black. When he reencountered his mothers life his questions had finally been answered. I think he found more than what he ever expected because he finally understood why his mother was the way she was. He kept a lot of details and facts about his mother to himself because he did not want to cause more pain to her. That’s what McBride needed though, a soul search of himself and of his mother. I believe he got it.

The title of the novel The Color of Water can have different meanings. Its significant to race because the color of water is always going to be the same color. Different shades of it, but in general its always going to be blue. For people, we are all going to be the same color whether we are white or black. There is nothing we can change about it nor do about it. It is what it is and I believe it makes an impact on how to treat people. The vision it gives Americans is to not judge or call out people of different race. We are all people some just look different than others, but what is so bad about that? In my eyes and hopefully in a lot of others eyes that in these days, there is no difference. McBride makes people aware of his race relations by giving his point of view and sharing his life story. It tells what was happening in the 1920’s to the 1980’s with the cultural background and how it changed over the years.

I thought The Color of Water was a very inspiring book. I got the message to be different than everyone else and go for what you want to do. If you think it is right then follow your heart, no matter if people think its wrong or not. There’s only one person who can live your own life and that’s yourself. Therefore, I would definitely recommend this book to other people. It inspired me by looking at things in life differently.

Morgan D.

The Color of Water- Wes Edwards

James McBride is an acclaimed award writer who is known from his memoir including; The Color of Water, Song Yet Sung, and Miracle at St. Anna. His most prized memoir, The Color of Water describes James’ struggle to discover his identity while experiencing a white, Jewish mother and twelve siblings. The Color of Water has sold over 1.3 million copies. The Color of Water, by James McBride is a story covering the struggles of a young black man who faces many hardships. James McBride’s greatest struggle is to understand why he is living this world with a white mother. Throughout the whole story James must overcome racism, religion, and growing up with twelve siblings and a white mother, Ruth McBride to find his identity.

Ruth McBride is the mother of James and twelve other siblings who are strong willed and who has a drive to raise her children right. By not reaveling her own past and identity to the children, it allows James and all of his brothers and sisters to look upon the future and make their own decisions. These decisions include where the children strived the most, their education. I believe that Ruth did not reveal her past to her children because she wanted them to establish a strong suit in the society and become who they want to become. Ruth McBride tells her son that she is dead because she is lost in society. Her husband is deceased and she has lost touch with all of her Jewish faith and family.

I believe “Mommy’s Contradictions” contributed to the balanced view of humanity that James McBride possesses. These contradictions showed the McBride family that the world is not perfect. There is hatred and racism between many people. Examples of this lie in Mommy’s Contradictions, and that her children must be strong willed like she was to be successful in life.

As the story progresses one learns that Ruth also known as “Ruchel Duraja Zylska” changes her name two times to escape her Jewish faith and her memories growing up as a Jewish child. The first time Ruth changes her name it is to “Rachel Deborah Shilsky”. She changes her name to hide her Jewish background when she comes to America. The second time she changes her name it is to “Ruth McBride Jordan.” Ruth changes her name the last time after she losses touch with her Jewish faith and when she gets married. Once Ruth lost touch with her family she decided she would hide from her family altogether by changing her name the final time and becoming completely “dead.”

Tateh, Ruth’s father ruled a strict household where everything was about supporting the wealth and family itself. Both Ruth and her sister would work tremendous hours in the little shop that Tateh owned in Suffolk. Everyday after school the kids would come straight home and go back to work. Ruth ruled her family a similar way which consisted of a strict household but mainly focused on the children’s drive for education and to stay out of trouble. For example all of Ruth’s children were very bright students and all of them excelled in school. Also all of her children went to college and that was something Ruth could boast about to anyone. Ruth and Tateh both were strict parents and held strict households but were strict in different ways.

This book The Color of Water hits the topic of race and religion right on the head. Not only does it show how race and religion is evident in Ruth’s world but in James and the real world. The more James grew as a young man the more he slowly started to discover the difference between him and his mother. When he would ask what color he was, his mom would just say “You’re a human being.” This is true saying that people are not any color. Ruth would say many times, “educate you’re self or you will be nobody”, in response to James asking what color he is. Just because one is a single color shouldn’t mean they should be targeted and physical and mental acts. As Americans we should discover and represent all races and not just try and destroy one because they way one looks or where one comes from. I believe this book is aspiring in the way it portrays race and religion. As teens James and his siblings grew up listening to and learning from Martin Luther King and Malcolm X. These men motivated James and his siblings in the civil rights movement. The Color of Water shows how each of James’s siblings and himself were influenced by these men.

I really enjoyed The Color of Water and would recommend it to anybody who is willing to read a great novel. I really enjoyed learning about the hardships of race and religion. I also appreciated how hard James searched for his mom’s past even though she tried so hard to hide it. Lastly I appreciate learning about Ruth’s past growing up in Suffolk. Again I would recommend this book to anyone.

The Color of Water

The novel The Color of Water is a extremely moving book. It was written by James McBride, a graduate of Oberlin College who also holds a master's degree in journalism from Columbia University. The Color of Water is a memoir of McBride's turbulent life as a bi-racial boy being raised by a secretive white mother who refused to admit she was white or reveal where she came from.

I believe Ruth never relieved her past to her children because it was to painful for her to relive. She attempted to forget all her past. An example is when she wants to drive her husbands car. She asks her son to show her how to drive. Yet in her past she drove trucks all over. That person who drove the truck for the store was forgotten. I believe leaving her sick mother, her abusing father, her own family disowning her, and not telling her children her past made it more difficult for them to find themselves. They knew their mother was different from their black friends mothers, yet she never admitted to being white, she always claimed to be light skinned. I think this refusal made her children feel a stronger identity with the African American in them. Yet it had to be confusing since they lived in a all black neighborhood and all the relatives they knew were black.

She begins her story by saying she is dead because Rachel is dead to her family. In 1941 they moved her. That person had to be dead in order for her to become Ruth McBride Jordan. She could not be Ruth McBride Jordan if Rachel was not dead. Her family would not have accepted her if she married a black man.

I believe these mommy contradictions did confuse Ruth's children. It didn't allow Ruth's children to have any knowledge of her past. which made them more confused about themselves. However the contradictions also made her children very accepting.

Ruchel Dwajra Zylska changing to Rachel Deborah Shilsky shows her coming from a polish immigrant to becoming an American. Ruth McBride Jordan comes to life when she marries Dennis and becomes a christian.

Ruth succeeded in raising her children because she loved them, and sacrificed for them. Tateh failed because he was selfish and greedy. He raised his children and wife with fear not love. Tateh bought himself nice things as where Ruth gave to her children, while Tateh took from his children. Ruth and Tateh were the same however in that they ruled their families with a iron fist, their way or no way at all, but Ruth's way benefited the children while Tateh's way only benefited himself.

Throughout James McBride's findings about his mothers past he found himself as well. He learned why his mother raised the children the way she did and many of her morals were revealed. He also found out he was of a Jewish back round which made him realize that he was not just bi racial but also Jewish.

The title The Color of Water is significant to questions of race and religion because water has no true color. Therefore it shows that if all people are seen as equal if we lived in a world without color.

James McBride liked the Black Panthers and Malcom X. However he was afraid for his mothers safety since she was white and he was black. Even though the Black Panthers did nothing to him, he punches a Black Panthers' son in the face on the bus ride to camp because he is afraid that the Black Panther is there to hurt his mother.

The Color of Water is a excellent novel. Throughout the book it reveals many flaws and problems in the world we live in. It is a very good example of how racist people will be just because of the color of someones skin or religion. I enjoyed the book a lot and found it fairly easy to read and truly liked the book.


Preston Mertes

The Color of Water

Imagine coming from two very different backgrounds. Imagine not knowing what to believe in or not knowing what color you truly are. James Mcbride went through that exact situation. He was raised by an inspiring white woman. She came from a Polish Jewish family and married an African American man. James was one of twelve children Ruth had. James valued his mother very much and wrote The Color of Water about her struggle with life. Ruth gave James a wonderful life. He became a successful writer and musician. He has been awarded for his jazz/pop music and his memoir, The Color of Water, was on the New York Times bestseller list for more than two years. His mother’s struggle with her family and the hardships of the loss of her husband has really made a quite moving novel.

Ruth did not have much of a childhood. She came to America at a very young age and was thrown into a land of mixed races. She was very confused of what she believed in and who she was. She began to wonder through the black neighborhoods on her bike. Her father was a very racist rabbi so it became very hard to see his daughter not following his ways. As she grew into an adult, she began to break through and convert to Christianity and marry an African American man. In the beginning of the story she tells her son that she is “dead.” She is “dead” to her family. Her family will not speak to her anymore because of her new ways. She wanted her son to know that because she wanted her children to find their own past. Her whole childhood was revolved around Judaism but once she was separated from her childhood she could follow her own beliefs. She wanted her children to find their own identity and be the one person they were meant to be.James stated a very interesting fact about his mother’s teachings. He states in the memoir,
Mommy's contradictions crashed and slammed against one another like
bumper cars at Coney Island. White folks, she felt were implicitly evil
toward blacks, yet she forced us to go to white schools to get the best
education. Blacks could be trusted more, but anything involving blacks
was probably substandard... She was against welfare and never applied for it despite our need, but championed those who availed themselves of it.
She was trying to teach her children about having a balanced look on race. She gave the truth and she gave both sides of the truth. She never wanted her children to favor one or the other like her father.

Throughout Ruth’s life, her name changes. Her original name was Ruchel Dwajra Zylska. This name was a reminder of her Jewish heritage. When she came to America, she became Rachel Deborah Shilsky. Her parents changed her name because they wanted her to adopt more into American Society. When she left her childhood she wanted to get rid of everything from her past. She changed her name to Ruth Mcbride because it was a fresh start and she married her late husband and moved to New York. When she was pregnant with James, Andrew Dennis McBride died of lung cancer. She had eight children with him. As time went on, she married Hunter Jordan. Her final name became Ruth McBride Jordan. He became the family’s new father and Ruth went on to have four children with him but he sadly died of a stroke. It was as if each name marked the next chapter of her life.

Ruth’s father, Tateh, was the main reason why she left her family. He was a strict father that never loved his family. He kept everything always just business. Ruth has a tough life with him because he was such a hypocrite. Everything had to be run his way and he could do whatever he wanted. Ruth was abused by her father and treated her mother with no respect. He finally left the family for another woman. Ruth’s parenting was a very different story. She was very strict with her children but only because she wanted them to be successful with their lives. She expected the best from her children and nothing less. She let her children choose their paths of success instead of forcing a certain way of living. She loved and cared for her children and her father did not. Ruth and her father are both strict, hard working people. Her father is what made her such a great woman. She has learned from all the hatred and evil spirits and twisted it to make her children great human beings.

James’s quest to figure out his mother’s past gave him a sense of closure and understanding who he truly is. Since James came from two completely different backgrounds, it would be hard to understand what to follow. His mother didn’t reveal her past to James at a young age so her son could follow his heart and not what someone made him. His mother’s past, however, was very important because he never new is father so his mother is all he had left. She wanted him to see that no matter what one believes in or looks like everyone is equal human beings.

The novel’s title revolves around the understanding of race. James reflects on when his mother was telling him what color was God’s spirit. “‘What color is God’s spirit?’ ‘It doesn’t have a color,’ she said. ‘God is the color of water. Water doesn’t have a color.’” (McBride, p. 39) The color of water is a sign of neutral. It shows that what we believe doesn’t have a specific color. It is not any kind of group. Water reflects any kind of light or color around it.

The 1960’s was a time of reform for all the African Americans. It was their time of power and this was the childhood of James. He saw all this power and wanted to be black. He wanted to be apart of this power and leadership. Malcolm X and Martin Luther King were at their prime and ready to give African Americans the freedom they need. James felt very powered by these people. His mother being white didn’t stop her from believing Martin Luther or Malcolm X. The events just made James more proud of his background.

The Color of Water was a very moving book. It made me think about what I believe in and the racial issues. If every mother was like Ruth, society would be more just on the racial issues. A lot of people cannot forget about their past and our teaching their children their ways instead of letting them decide their opinions for themselves. I personally loved this book. It taught me many lessons. It helped me understand that everyone is different but we are all equal no matter how our lives carry us.

Lexie Redd

The Color of Water by James McBride

James McBride grew up having nothing of real materialistic value. What he did have was a family unit of 12 siblings driven by a powerful mother. James matured and grew up to be a “somebody”, a writer, a journalist. He wrote for some of the most renowned publications. He had articles in newspapers such as “The Boston Globe”, “Washington Post”, and “The New York Times”. The magazines he wrote for were “People”, “Us”, and “The Rolling Stones”. James has written several books like Miracles in St. Anna, The Process, and Song Yet Sung. James McBride is a well-known author in Mrs. Babb’s U.S. History class for writing his novel The Color of Water. The novel is a tribute to his powerful, driven, courageous mother. He writes about her life beginning in Poland, and she ends up moving to America with her family and marrying a black man. Her life seemed to get worse after moving because her family pushed her out. She was a poor white woman married to a black man, living in a black community. James also combines his life story with hers. He looks back at his childhood questions and experiences, and he blends a story of humble beginnings, race, religion, family, and the true meaning of the color of water.


None of Ruth’s children knew where their mother came from or her life story until they were all grown. She would not give out any details and never truly answered the many questions her children asked her. This confused her kids and they began asking questions about race. She still did not give them straight answers to the questions. Her children grew up not knowing where they belonged. They did not know their true identity until much later. After years of questioning and still no answers, Ruth finally wrote her life story to James. She started out by saying that she was “dead”. After coming to America she got involved with a black man who she eventually married. This was not acceptable to her white, Jewish family. They did not consider her alive anymore and she was forced to disconnect herself from them.


Ruth’s children were not just confused about her past and all the unanswered questions. They were also puzzled by her many contradictions. Her ideas were complicated for her kids to understand until they got to be a little older. James McBride’s view of humanity was built by his mother and her views, and by his views as he grew up to experience the world for himself. He found out that white people were not better as individuals, but they were given more opportunities to be better than blacks were given. James learned that blacks could be trusted more so than whites, but their standards were always lower than whites.


Each name change that James’ mother went through was a different chapter in her life. Ruchel Dwajra Zylska was her Jewish name she went by while living in Poland. When she came to America she changed it so it could be pronounced, and she would not stand out. Her new name was then Rachel Deborah Shilsky. After her two marriages to Dennis McBride and then to Hunter Jordan, she changed her name yet again. Her name was finally Ruth McBride Jordan. Every name change wiped away her previous identity. She could start fresh and move on without revisiting the past.


Ruth and Tateh ran their households in a tyrannical manner. They had different tactics in how to steer their children in the right direction. Tateh was not involved in his children’s lives and did not show an interest in them at all. He failed because he was harsh and evil spirited towards his children and they ultimately did not obey his rules. When Ruth married a black man, she was pushed away. She was never to be contacted with again. Tateh’s way of doing things was completely different than Ruth’s. She took care of 12 children and she was concerned and connected to each and every one of them. If they got into trouble she would be stern but never evil. She taught them lessons without them loosing respect for her. James even quit school and got into drugs but instead of just leaving him behind she actually helped him. Ruth sent him away to find himself and get back on track with his life. He turned out to be a “somebody” in life because she pushed him to get his education and to be the best that he could be.


By looking at his mother’s past, James can discover things he never knew about himself. All of his childhood questions are answered. He can have his views about race and he finally knows his true identity. Race is just a color. A persons’ identity is made up of their reputation, where they have been, and what they have done in life. Their identity is not characterized by the color of their skin. He finally discovers the answers that have haunted him for so long. The title, The Color of Water, shows that color means nothing compared to who a person is on the inside. The title has a simple but deep meaning when talking about race and religion together. Ruth says, “God is the color of water.” Water does not have a definite color. This means that God doesn’t discriminate and loves everyone, no matter what color they are.


James McBride and his family lived during the time of the Civil Rights Movement in America. They were all individually influenced by the events that occurred. They also looked up to historical figures of that time. James McBride looked up to Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. James and his siblings all developed pride in their race and stood up against anyone that tried to tear them down.


The Color of Water has a very deep meaning that reaches out to people of all races and religions. The combination of race, religion, and portraying the struggles of both Ruth and James throughout their lives made this book outstanding to read. We still struggle with these things everyday, and people need to have a better understanding of the past to make the future bright. I recommend this book to anyone who will actually sit down and take in all this book has to offer. It’s not one that you should skim through.

Kelsie H.

The Color of Water, by James McBride

This book is a black man’s tribute to his white mother. The author was born to a African-American father and a white, Jewish mother, originally from Poland. He tells the story of his family’s struggle to survive at a time when interracial marriages were rare and practically forbidden and his personal journey to find his own sense of identity. James McBride is an award winning writer and composer and an accomplished saxophonist. He has a B.A. from Oberlin College, a M.S.J. in Journalism from Columbia. He is currently a Distinguished Writer-In-Residence at New York University.

Ruth McBride was a private person. She didn’t really want people to know her business. She didn’t want her children to find out the horrors of her past so she was trying to tell them she is a new person. She says that she is dead because she has no part of her Jewish life anymore, she has a new life now. Her parents had disowned her for marrying a black man. At first her children were confused because they were black and she was white. However, her refusal to discuss her past influenced them to find their own way in the world. She always told them to get an education to be somebody. I think she wanted them to focus on their education and not to be hurt by the conflicts of her past. She identified herself as part of the black community, living in Harlem and attending black churches.

I think Ruth’s contradictions probably confused her children at first but she was thinking about their future. By making her black children go to white schools they got a better education. As she used to say, “ What’s money if your mind is empty.” I think that later in life her contradictions probably helped them to understand that there is good and bad in every race.

Ruth was born an Orthodox Jew, her Jewish name was Ruchel Dwajra Zylska. When her parents came to America they changed her name to Rachel Deborah Shilsky so she would fit in better in America. She got rid of that name at nineteen when she left Virginia in 1941. She was finished with that life. Now her name is Ruth McBride Jordan because of whom she married. Her first marriage was to Andrew Dennis McBride who was James’ biological father. He died from lung cancer at a young age. Her second marriage was to Hunter Jordan who was James’ stepfather but the real male symbol in his life. James referred to him as “Daddy”. He died from a stroke when James was a teenager. With each name change she left behind a part of her life to begin a new chapter.

Ruth and Tateh both ran their household strictly. When they made a rule it was a law. But they went about their law making in a different way. Tateh ran his children into the ground with work and punishments. While he was away he made them run his grocery store by themselves. He showed his family no love. Ruth finally left when she was fed up with his selfish ways and cruel punishments. Ruth on the other hand was strict but still compassionate. She expected top grades and worked very hard to put all twelve children in college. She sacrificed a lot for her children. Although Tateh was a rabbi his children could see that he was a hypocrite but Ruth’s faith in God was convincing to her children.

When James found out his mother’s past that enabled him to find out where he came from and to have a better sense of who he was. By revealing her past he realised that it doesn’t matter what color you are, we are all equal human beings.

The title of the book, The Color of Water, is significant because it teaches us that we all have different cultures and religions but we were all made by God. James’ mother told him that God is the color of water and that water doesn’t have a color. I also think that was a good statement because water is transparent and reflects all the colors around it. We can all see ourselves in God.

The McBride children grew up in the times of Malcolm X, the Black Panthers and Martin Luther King in the 1960s. James was influenced by his older siblings and developed a sense of black pride. He wanted to be black, not white and wished his mother was black to make their lives easier. He was afraid for his mother’s safety during the black power movement. The book reveals that James as an adult is disgusted by black leaders talking about Jewish slave owners as if they are solely responsible for the problems of Afro-American people today and thinks they are no better than Jewish people who make blacks out to be drags on our society. I think that James dislikes anyone who stereotypes any race of people encouraging racism.

I think that The Color of Water is a very inspirational book. The lives of James McBride and Ruth McBride Jordan have changed the lives of others by letting them know that it’s not the outer appearance of a person that’s important but the inside. I would recommend this book to people of all races and religions because I think especially in today’s world it will encourage everyone to be more open-minded and accepting of each other.

Julius H.

The Color of Water

James McBride was born in 1957. He lived a confusing and turbulent childhood. His experiences lead him to write his memoir, “This Color of Water.” He faced social and moral issues. His mother, Ruth McBride Jordan, a Jewish white woman, had married a black man, Reverend Andrew D. McBride. During the early 1900s this was unacceptable to the public. James often questioned his identity. McBride went to Oberlin College and received an under graduate degree in music composition and masters in journalism from Colombia University. “The Color of Water” describes McBride’s young adult life in a poor black community with a large family, and a religious and strict white mother.

Ruth McBride Jordan said, “I’m dead. You want to talk about my family and here I been dead to then for fifty years.”(1) Ruth McBride Jordan does not exist. She was Rachel Deborah Shilsky and she died at the age of nineteen. Jordan’s family does not acknowledge her existence. Ruth said, “Rachel Shilsky is dead as far as I’m concerned. She had to die in order for me to live.”(2) Ruth McBride Jordan lives as if she was never Rachel Shilsky. She suppresses her past and creates a future as Ruth McBride Jordan.

When Ruth failed to inform her children off her past, they became confused about their own existence. One day James asked his mother why she did not look like the other mothers. She responded, “Because I’m not them…I’m your mother.”(12) James then said, “Then why don’t you look like Rodney’s mother, or Pete’s mother? How come you don’t look like me?”(12) Ruth chose not to talk about her past, which led to the children not knowing why they had different colored skin. Also, Ruth believed that the children did not need to know about her past. Her children then had no idea of who their mother was. When James began to uncover his mothers past, he began to truly understand himself. He realized the hardships his mother went through. He sees how she grew up and what influenced her actions such as, marrying a black man and sending the children to a white school. The McBride and Jordan children were constantly tugged between their mother’s thoughts. As children they were confused with her reasoning, but as they got older they were able to decipher and understand her motive.

Ruth McBride Jordan changed her name several times. Each change was a turning point in her life. Ruchel Zylsky was an immigrant she then began to take control of her life. She feels that she needed to get further from her Jewish family, which lead to her terminal name Ruth McBride Jordan. Ruth McBride Jordan bears all of the ups and downs of her previous lives. With this name she has also escaped her family.

Each house hold was run in a tyrannical manner. Tateh and Ruth both made the household decisions. However, Tateh’s decisions were not to help his family, they were to help himself. Tateh would not allow Ruth to play with her friend Frances because she was a gentile, or non believer. After school Ruth was to strictly come to the shop and work. While Ruth’s callous decisions were only to help her children. Even though, the white school was expensive and the kids were cruel, Ruth still sent them because they would get a better education.

James McBride titled his novel, “The Color of Water” with race and religion in mind. Water has not definite color, it is clear. Ruth explains to James that God is like water. People naturally judge others based on their race and religion. Ruth’s theory should encourage Americans to view others as if they were all the same. Not only Americans, but people everywhere should put rave and religion aside.

The McBride family’s lives were marked by historical even and people related to race relations in the United States. McBride said, “…listening as the Big Kids had animated conversations about ‘changing the system’ and ‘the revolution,’ extolling the virtues of Martin Lither King over Malcolm X and vice versa…”(73) James’ life was caught up in the racial tensions of the world. He felt that the thought of race as a secondary thought because his mother was white. When Ruth was explaining who Malcolm X was she said, “He was a man ahead of his time.”(32) James recalls, “She actually liked Malcolm X. She put him in nearly the same category as her other civil rights heroes, Paul Robeson, Jackie Robinson, Eleanor Roosevelt, A. Phillip Randolph, and the Kennedys…She viewed the civil rights achievements of black American with pride…”(32) Although Ruth had little time to think about racial issues, she was very supportive of racial equality.

James McBride obviously had a turbulent childhood, this lead him to write the novel, “The Color of Water.” His mother, Ruth McBride Jordan, overcame difficulties in her life. Her reasoning’s helped James throughout his life. I did not think the novel was bad, but it is not a book I would want to read again. I would recommend this book to someone who has had a rough childhood, racial issues, or likes history.

Maura Durso