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Summary: N.J Devry College of Technology
Review: "I was introduced to this book in my english class, and was amazed that this book caught my total attention. For next few days i couldn't stop reading this book. this book made me feel like i was part of what was going on, in all events that occured in their lives.I definitly reccomend this book for anybody iterested in being amazed or inspired"
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Summary: worthy subject matter, poor delivery
Review: If we divide a book into subject and form, this one scores highly in the first and poorly in the second. The subject matter or matters (growing up in a mixed-race family in Harlem in the 60's, growing up Orthodox Jew in the South in pre WWII years) i found fascinating. The way the stories are told, though, is unbalanced. Ruth is a fantastic storyteller, but she offers no introspection at all. James, on the other hand, is great at sharing his feelings, but fails as a narrator. His style is choppy and disjointed. An example of what i mean is Helen's story (i was glad to see that another reader agreed with me on this one). James wrote about the fights and disagreements that teenager Helen had with Ruth, and then that's it. No mention of Helen is made again till we find out she has a degree in Nursing. Maybe James decided to skip all those years in benefit of other, more important topics, but somehow the transition from Helen to the next thing was too abrupt and certainly left me disappointed. Also, very little is said about his siblings as adults, except for the lists of degrees and academic accomplishments that they have achieved. It would have been nice to learn a bit more about them. While it is true Ruth is the main character, more information on the siblings would have been a great addition to the book. One thing that was in the back of my mind while reading the book was the sheer number of children that Ruth had. Unless their religious beliefs forbade the use of contraception, Ruth and her husbands were simply out of their minds. I am sure you can love 12 children the same, but i am equally sure you cannot take care of 12 children the same. You cannot devote the same amount of time to each one, and a 15 year-old needs as much time from his/her parents as a 15 month-old. I must admit i expected more. This was one of those books that i really, really wanted to like, but that let me down at the end. Someone mentioned Angela's Ashes as an obvious comparison, and i have to agree.
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Summary: An Interracial Success
Review: What an inspiring journey into this interracial families struggles. As a white woman involved in an interracial relationship in the new millenium, I applaud the mother's conviction and dedication to her family. Her love for both of her black husbands from the 40's through to the present is inspirational. While I may never experience the same struggles that she faced, I felt as though we share the same beliefs. I was also deeply appreciative of the son's journey in that it has shown me that being the child of an interracial relationship can be a very positive experience. I hope that I am able to raise my children to be as successful as she has done.
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Summary: A book of miracles
Review: This book includes two stories. First there is the story of the writer's mother's troubled early life of isolation and abuse in the small town of Suffolk, Virginia. Then there is the story of her life as a mother of a large, black family, in New York City, herself being a white, Jewish woman, as told by the author. Anyone who has grown up in a large family (or knows of one) will easily relate to the second story; and there are lots of laugh out loud scenes included. Ultimately, this is a story of salvation, survival, miracles, and love.
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Summary: Cultural Survival 101
Review: Does anyone remember the ethnicity pie-graphs from their school or college experiences? James McBride delivers an unimaginably unique slice of that pie in the form of this powerful, inspiring memoir. Ruth Shilsky/McBride/Jordan was an immigrant Hassidic Jew, who, having escaped the opressive bonds of her family and the wide-spread racism of the time, converted to the Christian faith, married a black man, brought up a dozen of children of mixed blood and put them through college. McBride centers on his quest to understand his confused heritage, at a time when anti-white and anti-black sentiments ran high. The chapters alternate between James' own life and his mother's youth, which very effectively support each other. There is no (and could not be) an organized plot. The chapters jump back and forth through time, sometimes reiterating and underscoring a message that was hidden previously. McBride uses his powerful, simple language to very good ends. A definite must-read.
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Summary: I'm without words...
Review: I just finished this novel and I cannot even begin to tell you how touched I am by this story. Everyone must read this! It speaks to you on so many levels. Family, faith, race... its just everything. A definte must read.
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Summary: Forced Reader
Review: The Color of Water is a requred reading for my Ethnic Studies class at OCC. After reading the book, I found it extremely touching. It was a beautiful story that shows that if you really want something in life, it doesn't matter who you are. I would reccommend this book to many who feel that they are ata disadvantage. it makes you appreciate others
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Summary: A tribute to family, survival, and faith
Review: The Color of Water is an intimate look at the evolving relationship between a mother and her son. Both points of view are revealed, using an effective stylistic tool of switching narrators from chapter to chapter, from James McBride (the son) to Ruth McBride (the mother). The son's struggles and triumphs are divided and doubled, respectively, as the mother demonstrates inner strength, wit, and faith time and time again. Just as with a fruit enveloped and somewhat protected by a bitter peel, James exposed the inner sweetness of his mother's affections by first "peeling" off the outer layer - the abrasive and harsh circumstances of her life. The Color of Water is both soul-searching and, perhaps just as the author intended, soul-revealing, not just for the involved characters, but for the readers as well.
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Summary: Add this book to your "must read" list!
Review: "The Color of Water" has all the right ingredients (family, strong human spirit, trials, triumph, redemption and faith) to make it an unforgettable story. It is a powerful and inspiring story of a woman, with a compelling background, who becomes twice widowed but is able, to live her life and raise her family of twelve children. After reading this book, you will see that if the heroine has been able to accomplish all the great things she has done, especially under the direst circumstances, then you can survive any predicament that comes your way, as well. "The Color of Water" makes a great gift for others. Your friends will thank you for it! Fafa Demasio
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Summary: Extra credit for english-Matt B.
Review: This book has a very creative way of being written. I found they way every other chapter was written very interesting. In my opinion the "Ruth" chapters were much more interesting than the ones James wrote about himself. The chapters are very fast reading, you can easily get caught up in the storyline. Overall I didn't enjoy the book very much. I found James chapters to be long and most of the time very boring.
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