Rating: 
Summary: nicks magical review
Review: The Color of Water (by Nicholas Tucker) Book Review.
In The Color of Water, the author, James McBride, splits his narrative into two points of view. In one, Mommy talks about what her life was like growing up, and what it was like as an adult. In the other James, Mommy's son, also tells us how Mommy raised him and his siblings, and told us some of the hardships of his life. Mommy was the daughter of a Jewish Rabbi, and she, her mother, father and sister all lived in Suffolk, Virginia. The father wasn't really in love with the mother, and in the south they weren't all that kind to Jews. Mommy grew up spending all of her free time manning her father's store. She loved her mom, but was not fond of her father. When she graduated from high school she went to go work in a factory that her aunt owned. Her aunt wasn't nice to her, nor was she nice to the workers. A fellow, African American, named Andrew McBride became Mommy's first husband. With the support of Andrew, she converted from Christianity. They also tried to keep their marriage a secret, because when whites married blacks in those days, it was looked down upon. Together they had eight kids, with James being their youngest. Andrew died of a brain tumor and then Mommy married her second husband, Hunter Jordan. Together they had five kids and he died of a stroke. Mommy became more to herself, and she became less strict in raising her children. All her kids went on to secondary educations and all had well paying professions.
What I think worked really well in this novel is the way that it had alternated between two views. On e chapter would be the mother telling the reader about her life, and the other chapter would be James, the author of the novel, telling the reader about his life and what his mother was like when he and his sibling were growing up. This worked really well because you get what really happened to the mother, and then you get to see how she turned out, and how she raised her kids based on her experiences.
What I thought didn't work in the novel was the ending. He starts telling us about what it was like when all of the sibling grew up, and they all got together with all of their kids. They told us what would happen on Christmas and other holidays, and then he ended the book. I thought this didn't work because he got me interested in how he raised his kids and how his brothers and sisters raised their kids, and that interest was never satisfied with information.
Overall, I thought this was one of the best autobiographies I've ever read. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is interested in reading about a hard working mother who has conquered her trials and tribulations, and all she wants is her children to succeed in life. My favorite part was reading how the mother grew up in the south, where she was discriminating upon, and molested by her father. To read how she grew up through all that, and still raised thirteen kids to the best of her ability was most gratifying. I liked how James McBride, the author and Mommy's son, stressed in the novel that Mommy never told her kids about her past. I liked it because it meant that much more reading the novel knowing that this is the first time she is ever telling anyone about her past. I really encourage people to read this book. You don't have to like autobiographies, but I guarantee this book will touch you as it has touched me
Rating:
Summary: breath taking
Review: I first read this book about two years ago and I have yet to read anything else this good. I couldn't put the book down and usually I don't like to read. I envy James McBride's mother for her courage and strength. There were times when I was laughing myself off of a seat and times when I needed a box of tissues. I felt like I was apart of the story and my heart went out to everyone mentioned. I guess all I really want to say is , "Wow."
Rating: 
Summary: Past history isn't history, it isn't even past.
Review: "The Color of Water" is a wonderful, moving story of an amazing family. I was absorbed in the narrative immediately, and transported to a world quite unlike any I'd read about in a while. The author, James McBride, recreates his childhood after he came to better understand the life of his mother, a white Jewish immigrant who abandonded a painful childhood to move to New York and raise a family of 12 children. She was disowned by her family when she married a black man, and spent most of her exiled life in black neighborhoods in New York. She fits in quite well, much better than she would elsewhere. Only as an adult does the author find out the full story of his mother's previous life, and it is told by his mother in gripping first person segments between chapters written by him. Although this device could have been distracting, it's actually the most effective way of doing it, because it reinforces how removed that life is from the one his mother has lived since. But, as all good memoirs remind us, our past isn't history because it informs who we are to this day. Ruth McBride's life is amazing, both for what she endures and for the fact that manages to instill in her children a strong faith in God. She values education above all, and all of her children are hugely successful today. Anyone who has tried to balance their own life and finances will marvel that one woman was able to do all that she had done. This book isn't perfect, but I really enjoyed it. McBride is only an average writer, with a tendency to fall into cliches and repetitive phrases. What lifts it up is the story itself, which is moving and inspiring.
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Summary: Black, white, tan, yellow. Doesn't matter. Read it.
Review: Beautiful memoir by a gifted musician and writer, offering a hymn of praise to his Jewish mother (Orthodox, born in Poland, abusive childhood, etc.) who married two remarkable African American husbands, gave birth to a passel of kids, and refused to discuss issues of race with her many children. She answered their question, Am I Black or White?" by telling them, "You're a human being. Educate yourself or you'll be a nobody!" How this remarkable woman succeeded in raising what? about 11 kids in a crime ridden, all-black ghetto, instilling in them respect for religion and education, is at the core of this book. Told in a linear format, alternating chapters of his childhood with his mother's story (told in her voice), it sucks the reader along like riding the rills of a swiftly-moving stream. When the author asked his mother what color God is, she replied, 'The color of water,' i.e. colorless. But this novel is anything but colorless.
Must reading for all thinkers, people of all races and religions.
Rating:
Summary: An Incredible book!
Review: My husband purchased this book for me for Christmas. It was hard to put down! I would recommend this to anyone ... enjoy!
Rating: 
Summary: fascinating subject, somewhat flat narrative
Review: The substance of this story is fascinating: an Orthodox Jew emigrates to the USA from Russia, grows up in a small town in the South, moves to New York City, marries a black man, and raises 12 bi-racial children in the Red Hook housing projects and Queens during the 1960s and 1970s. Outrageous, right? The book alternates McBride's own narrative with his mother's story told in her voice. The mother's voice is compelling, honest, and unapologetic. McBride's is rather flat and at times didactic, robbing the book of some of its power. Ultimately this was a book I felt should fascinate me, but I had to force myself to finish it and care about the fate of its characters.
Rating:
Summary: the best
Review: this was such a great book, i enjoyed every single page of it. A great read for all ages!!!
Rating:
Summary: Beautifully Written -- And Very Touching
Review: This cleverly written book is in effect a dual-autobiography, presenting two clear and unique voices. Alternating between the words of Ruth McBride Jordan and her son James in every other chapter, the imagery of the primary and supporting players in these two people's experiences brings life to the stories. By alternating these viewpoints, James McBride underscores the similarities and contrasts the differences in their two separate experiences. He chronicles his discovery of himself and the discovery of who his mother really was. A woman, who was secretive about her life and history, but instilled incredible values and heaped immeasurable quantities of love on her children. I recommend this book highly! Also recommended: Lovely Bones by Sebold, The Losers' Club by Richard Perez
Rating:
Summary: A Touching Multi- Racial Biography
Review: This is a powerful story about the hardships of a white woman who is rejected by her own clan, but who marries a black man and tries to fit in with the Black culture. Everyone is flawed, but the emotional connections run ever so deep because of that. An inspirational story that serves as a reminder that we all share the human condition.
Rating:
Summary: Must Read
Review: I absolutely loved this book. I grew up until I was 7 as a minority---as a white girl in Gary, IN. I not only loved the story, but the title and saying from his mother when he was asked what color he was/is really was touching. Highly recommend this book for parents---for passing on to their kids! Must read for young adults who don't have the privelige or eduction of growing up in diverse communities.
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