Rating: 
Summary: The Best Book Ive ever read
Review: This book is a wonderful way to pay tribute to a hard working low class woman who has faced many trials and tribulations. Being an orthidox jew who married a black man who was a preacher and had 4 children and then after his death married another black man who gave her 8 more children for a total of twelve before he died to leave her alone to send her 12 children to college and some even to graduate school. It tells of her heroism and her great ambition for her children.
Rating:
Summary: A moving portrayal of a memorable family
Review: James McBride gives us a wonderful memoir of himself and his mother, a Polish immigrant and Orthodox Jew, a daughter of a tyrannical rabbi father and timid, crippled mother, who dared to ask for something more of this life. Yet in doing so, Ruth McBride Jordan, nee Rachel Shilsky crossed what was once, and for some still is, an uncrossable barrier: she married not one, but two, black men, converting to Christianity along the way. She lost her Jewish family and isolated herself from both whites and, to a lesser extent, blacks, but raised 12 children who all became college-educated professionals.
This is not a portrait of a saint, either mother or son. But both can forgive the other, something that Ruth's Jewish family cannot do. (That, by the way, should not be seen as representative of all Jews; indeed, the epilogue shows a moving scene in which James McBride gets in touch with his Jewish side in a very positive way. Many Jewish people are caring and understanding and not at all prejudice against blacks. Ruth's family wasn't among them.) Anyway, that these are not saints make the people more human, more believeable, more loveable. And by reading it, maybe we would become more accepting of families that don't look like our own. (Though I have to confess, I might be a little worried if a family with 12 kids moved in next door, regardless of the racial makeup! :-) )
Rating:
Summary: The Power of The Color of Water
Review: Powerful! How else could one describe James McBride's moving and emotional recount of his life and the live of his indomitable mother, refused to be defined by race, religion, or station in life? Spanning two generations, The Color of Water outlines in piercing detail the life o f James McBride, yet the true essence of the work is found in his recounts of the stories and family history his mother Ruth immerses the family in as she raises her twelve children in the midst of social upheaval and discontent. Ruth, born to a Juish rabbi in Poland, was raised in Southern Virginia before "escaping" to the sultry streets of Harlem in New York City in the 1940's where she met and married a black man. Born to a cruel racist who despised black men and treated his daughter Ruth with disdain and violence, Ruth eventually married two blace men, bore twelve children who all attended college, founded a Baptist church, and overcame all the barriers and challenges placed before her. Gripping dialogue, combined with the power of the message that inner strength and inner peace will truly define individuals regardless of the norms and mores of the day, make this book a must-read for anyone searching for literary prowess or the triumph of human dignity over human frailty. McBride takes the reader through his life as his mother explains, "You are human," when asked what color he is. He also, however, weaves poignant passages directly from his mother about her life and Ruth's insistence her children be educated and spiritually fulfilled. The combination of these two literary paths result in a work that demands even the laziest reader take note of the power of one woman to overcome. Although upon first glance the book may appear to focus on religion, race relations, and the inner workings of a family led by a strong, independent woman, the genius and power of The Color of Water is the unyielding will of a mother to ensure her twelve children obtaine an education and define their spiritual center through the Christion church.
Rating: 
Summary: A Moving Tribute
Review: James McBride has written a straightforward, moving account about his life and his mother's past. In many ways this novel reminded me of "Angela's Ashes" in that McBride could recall his difficult often times neglectful childhood in such a non-judgmental and detached way.
I especially enjoyed the casual, conversational style that McBride uses in the book. It felt as if I was talking with an old friend.
I applaud the insight and courage that propelled him out of his own confused identity crisis and led him to fnd out more about his heritage. McBride unearths a history he finds hard to believe. A story that tells of his mother's struggles as a young girl in a neglectful and dysfunctional family.
McBride can see the beauty and love in his mother although she is never able to express her feelings to her son. He admires her sheer determination to educate her children and her fierce protectiveness that ultimately isolates them from a society not ready to accept interracial marriages and their children.
An interesting,compelling, beautiful story about family, love and acceptance.
Rating:
Summary: The Color of Water
Review: The Color of Water by James McBride, is "a black man's tribute to his white mother", that will leave the reader with newly discovered feelings about race and values. Through the entire book, the author writes one chapter depicting his own experiences, and the next in the words of his mother, reminiscing about her past. Her voice is written in italics, so it is easy to differentiate between his voice and hers. This creates the beautiful flow of the novel, which forces the reader to never put the book down.
There were other things I needed to get done, so I found myself thinking that I would read, "just one more chapter." Before I knew it, I was finished reading the book, although many times I would think about the things I learned while reading. When McBride talks of his mother's pain, he uses powerful descriptions like, "Mommy walked around the house as if she were blind, staggering through the motions of life" (105)...When referring to how strongly Ruth felt about the church and her preacher, McBride wrote, "He brought God into your everyday life in a way that made you think heaven was right next door" (183).
I love the way McBride shows his mother's love for her children. "Mommy was so proud of David and would have literally carried his books to school for him if he had asked her to" (140). He also gives wonderful descriptions of the characters: "Mommy marched into the store, doing the "mad walk", the bowlegged strut that meant thunder and lightening was coming--body pitched forward, jaw jutted out, hands balled into tight fists, nose red, stomping like Cab Calloway with the Billy Eckstein band blowing full blast behind him" (78).
Amidst the odds, she managed to send all twelve of her children to college and have them graduate. No matter what life dealt Ruth, she proceeded with dignity and success. What an amazing, inspirational woman. Anyone who has ever had any sense of not "belonging" or has questions about their identity, would relate well with Ruth and her mixed-race children... For me, this book opens a door of better understanding: for men of mixed-race, and for a Jewish woman who converts to Christianity and chooses to marry two different black men and supports twelve mixed-race children.
Ruth constantly battled racism. McBride lets the reader feel her emotions through words like these: "I stayed on the black side because that was the only place I could stay. The few problems I had with black folks were nothing compared to the grief the white folks dished out" (182).
Only after one reads the novel, will he or she begin to understand the courageous way this woman lived her life. As a white woman, with dominant Jewish features, she co-existed with black people as if she were black, in a time when you just didn't do that.
There was absolutely nothing that I did not like about this book. I would recommend The Color Of Water to anyone, of any race, age, or gender. When a novel has the ability to send chills that cause goosebumps on the reader's body as many times as this one did mine, you know it's powerful.
Rating:
Summary: The Color of Water
Review: This book is meant for everyone. Everyone who has not experienced a life of racial injustice and other problems with being a different race can learn a lot from this book. Others that have had racism affect them may read this book to see a somewhat different life that someone has lived. It may seem to be much more interesting and informational for people who haven't experienced racism, but everyone can compare certain aspects of their life to that of James and his mother. This book is able to cover both racial and religious prejudices and relate the two of African Americans and those of the Jewish father/culture. This 'autobiography' is actually two in one. James McBride tells his story, and his mother also writes about her life. Each chapter separates his mother's past with his in this "dual-autobiography". Though this is somewhat confusing at times due to the fact that they are not parallel in time, it allows for a broad explanation of how the McBride/Jordan family formed and in what context James and his mother has a relationship. In the chapters that his mother writes, she is able to develop how her family affected her life, and how she ended up where she was with James. She is able to trace over her life being Jewish and being raised by her family. James, her son, is able to write his story without knowing her side, but it is open to the reader to compare what his mother has experienced and how she acts with him later in her life. The structure of this book is quite unique, and it is entertaining. The switching from one person to another after every chapter, it can grab your attention with a new story at a different point in time, but after a lot of the plot is developed, it become difficult to keep track of it all. Even though the book is good, there are some problems with it. One of these problems is the fact that I may be too interesting and too informative, too fast. Since it accounts for James McBride and his mother, Rachel Shilsky, it seems to contain enough stories for two separate books. Due to the fact that James McBride focused on his connection with his mother, it's obvious (and a good choice) why he included his mother's story along with his. The book seems oddly paced at times. This may be because James McBride was putting two stories into one book. As he describes his childhood, he starts off a little slow at first, but at his teenage years, where there is tons of things going on, he goes what seems a little too fast. Giving about the same amount of pages to each period in his life tried to keep the pace the same, but it did not deal with the most interesting situations properly. Already being educated about racism with past stories and history classes, this book still offers new and interesting views of a life dealing with racism and religious prejudice. From reading past stories dealing with this type of life, this book offers a view of a less direct but just as harmful affect of prejudice. Through James McBride's dealing with racism and his mother's dealing with religions injustice, the story can be one to which some can relate and which others can sympathize. Despite some of the very small problems, this book is not only very interesting but also informative for anyone.
Rating:
Summary: Poignant & moving
Review: I couldn't put this book down. Well-told, this book touches the heart and lifts it up.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent piece of literary work
Review: I thoroughly enjoyed James McBride's "The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother", because of its simplicity of style and structure in captivating the overall essence of interracial marriage and the perception of the children involved. McBride was successful in carefully painting a picture which included traces of history from both his past as well as his mother's past by allowing the reader to experience more than one perspective or rather point of view. McBride celebrates life and lessons learned. I really enjoyed the overall influence of his mother in the lives of all of her children. She stressed education and most of all a belief in God as a sure path for survival in this country. But most of all I really like the parts in which she to me, encouraged each of her children to develop some form of path way or plan that was accessible to them: a faith in God / and an education. This book was inspirational. Coming from a multi-raced hertiage myself, I am startled all the time by the overall ignorance of others when referring to people of multi-raced or multi-cultural hertiage. There is nothing odd about having someone who is a parent, spouse, or even friend that is of another race or cultural persuasion. I find that this particular book erased all misconceptions that I had about myself and others like me. We are all people who undoubtably desire to be reflections of one another. Somewhat like a mixture of spices. We are all without color -- and the color of water sounds fine to me. A reflection of a reflection of all the prisms of the world. Thank you Mr. McBride for writing such a lovely piece of work. It was not only an inspiration, but a needed piece of quilt-work in the spread of many lessons of love needed to be learned.
Rating:
Summary: A Marvelously uplifting, inspiring piece of literature.
Review: Upon picking up this book, I was immediately enveloped in its storyline. It is a beautifully crafted work that leaves the reader moved and at times shaken as the story unfolds. James McBride paints a picture of two lives that at some times enjoyed prosperity and love of family, yet also endured struggle with racism, poverty and abandonment. Ruth McBride endured much, all for the sake of her 12 children. Detailed in this book is her struggle with being a Jewish woman having to raise her children alone. And James struggled with childhood as he coped with being one of many children in a single parent household. yet through all of their hardships, each child of Ruth McBride attended college, and has prospered due to this woman's strong sense of family values and her unshakable faith in God. A true tale of prosperity in the face of adversity, 'The Color of Water' certainly is a fitting tribute to the life of a remarkable woman.
Rating:
Summary: Search for Self
Review: James McBride's memoir, The Color of Water, is a journey to find his own true identity. Within the pages of his story is woven the secrets of his mothers past. His white mother was born into Judaism, goes against her family and society, and converts to Christianity, where she feels as though she belongs. She chose her own identity. James, a black child, began his life without realizing the different skin color of his own mother. As he grows older, he becomes more and more interested in who his mother is, so he could find out who he is. James grows up in a household with 11 other siblings, where education is the top priorioty. He iss taught that without knowledge, you have no opportunities for success. His mother is a successful advocate for order, diligence, and intellect. She sends her children to predominantly white-jewish schools to ensure them a sufficient education. The journey that James takes in order to find out his background is one of self enlightenment. He is forced to accept a unique identity, and finds comfort when he is accepted into his new Jewish community. He realizes that stereotypes and first impressions are probably false, and learns not to judge based on identity. Both James and his mothers story are ones of hope. James leaves you with pride in being American, comfort in feeling accepted, and the desire to know yourself a little better.
If you're looking for a warm and quick read, The Color of Water is an excellent choice. It reminds you to be grateful for your family and friends, to choose who you are, and who you want to be, and most importantly to be accepting of others.
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