The Color of Water

The Color Of Water by James McBride, is a story about a women named Ruth and the struggles she encounters with racial tension. Ruth was in a Jewish family. Once Ruth became older she married a black man. After she has married the man she is shunned from her own family. Ruth also has a son named James. James doesn’t understand why his mother is white and why he is black. Ruth refuses to tell James. James way of portraying the story is amazing. McBride is a great writer.

Ruth doesn’t reveal her background with any of her kids. She tries to keep it a secret. The reason for this is because she is ashamed of her past and the way she was treated. Ruth has been through some harsh times. She dealt with sexual abuse from her father, and she had to deal with the fact that she was a Jewish person. Ruth’s life was very rough. At the beginning of the book Ruth says she is “dead”, she says this to her son, who at first has no idea what she is talking about. What Ruth means is that after her marriage to Andrew Dennis McBride, her family thinks nothing of her. They all betray Ruth and shun her from the family. This is what she means by “dead”, no one knows she is there, they all forget about her. With all this going on Ruth’s children are confused by it all. Ruth sends them to white schools, where they can get a good education. Ruth is trying to help her kids as much as she can so they don’t have to live the horrible and rough life like Ruth had lived. Ruth’s name also has to deal with the facial theme. Her name changes three times in the story. The reason for these changes is so that she can fit into the racial family so she is not discriminated against. Ruth was a very strong women and a very good mother to her children.

Ruth and her father both ran a tight household. Each of them had very strict rules for their kids. Each of them also made the children work to understand the value of money. The difference in the way they raised their children is that her father let race effect the family while Ruth wasn’t bother by the race factor. This is why Ruth was successful she didn’t let race affect the way she lived. Later on in the story James tries to find out his mothers past. He successfully finds it and discovers his mother was a Jew. He also found out that his mother’s dad was a rabbi. Ruth’s father failed at being a rabbi.

The title of the book is a great choice. The Color of Water, this symbolizes the true meaning of race. Water has no color. This teaches us that no matter what color you are we r all the same, just like water. Water can seem like it is many different colors depending on the surroundings. But when you subtract the surroundings and the extra things water is all the same which is also true with humans. This offers America with a vision of no matter what color you are we r all the same inside and all have something to offer to the world. This is why the title has such a strong meaning. McBride also sees some people as good people, and some as bad. McBride is a forgiving person. He sees everyone as a chance to change the racial tension in America and that is what makes him such a great person.

The Color of Water was a very strong book. The message that is in it is very powerful and meaningful. I enjoyed reading this book. It gave me a new view on the racial views in America. I would recommend this book to a person that likes reading about American history and the struggles many people have faced. This was a very good book with a very strong meaning.

SAM EDWARDS