"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