Book Review: The Color of Water

This book is a nonfiction about the author, James McBride's life and his mother, Ruth's life. The story switches every chapter, from James's life and his mothers. Throughout the story, James is conflicted because he is African-American and his mother is Caucasian. When he asks her what color God is, she says "God is the Color of Water." Thus the title. Throughout the whole book, James, his mother, his siblings, and his half-siblings deal with the pressures of being a multi-racial family. James and all of his siblings even though his mother just barely makes enough to keep them alive, puts all twelve of her children through college and allows them to become doctors, professors, teachers, composers, and scientists. On the other side of the story, Ruth's life is described, born to Jewish Polish immigrants in Virginia. Her father is a Rabbi, obsessed with money, hates black people, doesn't care for his family, divorces his wife but still lives with her, and hates his children. Her mother is a frail women with polio. Ruth (Rachel at the time) obviously falls in love with a black boy, becomes pregnant, but before her father finds out her mother sends Ruth to her aunt. She gets an abortion, one of the worst experience of her life. She then separates from her family, living with her somewhat, making little money moving from job to job. After a few events, she meets Andrew "Dennis" McBride. She gets to know him, and after Ruth quits an awful job that she thought was good, she falls in love and marries him. They have seven kids, but Dennis gets sick after a while, and Ruth is pregnant with James. Dennis dies after Ruth and the children visit him. She finds out for the first time that he had cancer. She gets remarried later, having more children, the the second husband dies. The book ends with James uncovering his mothers past, helping her meet lost friends and family, and discussing the accomplishments of her twelve children.

"The Color of Water [will] make you proud to be a member of the human race." -Mirabella

The real conflict in this story is one that started thousands of years ago. "Why do I look different from those people?" James doesn't understand in his early years why his mother is so different in looks from him. His mother wants everyone to know that black people are no different, and hates racism. They all go through life with this problem. Another conflict is the conflict Ruth has as she raises her children, losing two husbands, barely making enough to keep her family stable, but she overcomes this conflict. The story shows how true sacrifice pays off in the end.

"There are probably a hundred reasons why Ruthie should have stayed on the Jewish side instead of taking New Jersey transit and the F train to go to a Christian church in Red Hook, Brooklyn, with her shvartse children and friends, and I'm sure the Old Testament lists them all, but I'm glad she came over to the African-American side."

This book really made me think. About the three Inalienable rights, Life Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. About equality. Simply about life. The book shows the struggles this one amazing woman overcomes to give her family the best life she possibly can and her son's comprehension of life under his mother who lived differently than others. The book was a great read, teaching mean some lessons of life that are hard to comprehend. I would definently recommend it to other readers.