The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother - Softcover

McBride, James

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0747538328 ISBN 13: 9780747538325

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC, 1998

Synopsis

As a boy in Brooklyn's Red Hook projects, James McBride knew his mother was different. But when he asked about it, she'd simply say 'I'm light-skinned.' Later he wondered if he was different too, and asked his mother if he was black or white. 'You're a human being,' she snapped. 'Educate yourself or you'll be a nobody!' And when James asked what colour God was, she said 'God is the colour of water.' As an adult, McBride finally persuaded his mother to tell her story - the story of a rabbi's daughter, born in Poland and raised in the South, who fled to Harlem, married a black man, founded a Baptist church, and put twelve children through college.

About this title

Review:

Order this book ... and please don't be put off by its pallid subtitle, A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother, which doesn't begin to do justice to the utterly unique and moving story contained within. The Color of Water tells the remarkable story of Ruth McBride Jordan, the two good men she married, and the 12 good children she raised. Jordan, born Rachel Shilsky, a Polish Jew, immigrated to America soon after birth; as an adult she moved to New York City, leaving her family and faith behind in Virginia. Jordan met and married a black man, making her isolation even more profound. The book is a success story, a testament to one woman's true heart, solid values and indomitable will. Ruth Jordan battled not only racism but also poverty to raise her children and, despite being sorely tested, never wavered. In telling her story--along with her son's--The Color of Water addresses racial identity with compassion, insight and realism. It is, in a word, inspiring, and you will finish it with unalloyed admiration for a flawed but remarkable individual. And, perhaps, a little more faith in us all.

Review:

'An extraordinary story, beautifully told.' -- Jewish Chronicle

'An extrodinary story....Rich and dynamic' -- The Voice

'Fascinating reading' -- Maxim

About this edition

• Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
• Publication date: 1998
• ISBN 10: 0747538328
• ISBN 13: 9780747538325
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 256