A thoughtful examination of race and relationships. McBride comes to see Ruth not just as his mother, but as a woman, a survivor. Nevertheless, this is a compassionate, respectful and loving biography. As he writes the book, McBride intersperses details of his own life, a troubled relationship with his mother, drugs and delinquency, acknowledging that the pain caused by Ruth’s past and her secrecy had consequences for her children. McBride finally starts to draw the secrets of Ruth’s remarkable past from her. It bears eloquent witness to the life of Ruth Shilsky McBride Jordan, a rabbis daughter born in Poland and raised in the American South who moved to Harlem, married a black man, and put 12 kids through college. It was not until McBride reached adulthood that he realised his mother was a actually white woman raising a black family in a black neighbourhood and became curious about her story. The Color of Water, subtitled A Black Mans Tribute to His White Mother, is James McBrides poignant exploration of his biracial identity. Raising her 12 black children in Harlem under difficult circumstances, she had always told her children that she was just “light-skinned”. Ruth was an enigma to James when he was growing up. James McBride’s biography The Color of Water is a touching tribute to his mother, Ruth, and to her remarkable story.
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