The Color of Water

James McBride is a well known writer, composer, and musician. He was a former staff writer for the The Washington Post, People Magazine, and the Boston Globe. In one of his most famous books, The Color of Water, he and his mother, Ruth McBride, tell of their lives and the hardships they have encountered due to racial prejudice and racial divides. Ruth, the daughter of two Jewish immigrants, marries a black man, Andrew McBride, and the two had 8 multiracial children. One of their children was named James. Throughout the novel James struggles with his identity and his color. He continually questioned his mother only to be ignored or refused.

Ruth refused to reveal her past despite her children's questions and concerns. Ruth's past was full of bad memories and racial prejudice. As a child she was teased and joked on because she was Jewish. Her father was raciest and forbid her to leave for New York and live with James' father, Andrew McBride. She disobeyed her father's orders and was kicked out of the family. Her refusal to reveal her past left her children lost and full of wonderment. The children, especially James, were constantly looking for that one place where they fit in and where they felt comfortable. Ruth begins her story by telling her son that she is "dead" to show that all ties to her family have been broken and to them she no longer exists. The little Jewish girl that worked in her father's store everyday was now gone, a part of her missing.

Throughout the book Ruth contradicts herself on many different occasions. The culmination of these contradictions seemed to give her children a balanced view of humanity rather than confuse them all together. James along with all his brothers and sisters see things in a different light. Ruth changes here name in the book 3 times. Each name change is more and more Americanized. The name changes pull her farther away from her old Jewish lifestyle and closer to the Christian woman she is today.

Ruth and her father both ran their households in a tyrannical manner, but Ruth seemed to succeed while her father, Tateh, did not. Tateh was very controlling and worked his children every second he could. He made their decisions for them and did not let them have any say. Ruth had rules that she expected her children to follow or there would be consequences. Her children respected her and thought of her as the all mighty power in the household. She let her children live their own life but jumped in if someone needed a reminder of what was right and wrong.

When James recounted his mother's life he saw that she had gone through many of the same challenges he had gone through. Race was a major obstacle in her life as well as his but she made it through. He sees that you are who you set out to be, the past does not always determine the future. He also sees that every human being is of equal stature and has an equal ability to succeed. The title of the book, The Color of Water, has great meaning. Ruth says that God is the color of water, neither black or white. He is not prejudice and everyone in his eyes are equal. That is a good vision for all Americans, everyone is equal. In the book the lives of McBride and his family members are marked by historical events and people related to race relations in the US. Malcolm X and Martin Luther King have been mentioned in this book. He perceived them as people who have broken racial barriers and made America a better place to live.

I thought this book was good and I thought the book had a good message. I found it a little hard to get into but overall I liked it. I believe this is a book that everyone should read.

Brennan W.