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

A fantastic read

The Color of Water was an excellent novel. I thoroughly enjoyed the captivating life stories of James and of his white, Jewish mother. Each narrative is carefully woven throughout the chapters of this novel, all of which were remarkable and imaginative. I would recommend the poignant and touching accounts of James and his mother to anyone of any race, any religion, and any background.

3 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

Must Read

When I first picked up this book, and thumbed through it, I thought that it wasn't going to be so great. Now that I have read the book, I realize that i couldn't been farther from the truth.
The switching between his story and his mother's story caught me off gaurd at first, and made me think that the two stories where about the same person. After I had read a few chapters, though, I realized that the story was being split into two different tales told by ttow different people.
Overall, this book is a great tribute to the hardships' that McBrides' mother had to endure as a child, along with the ones that she got through as an adult.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

I have a question

So i am a sophomore in high school and i love to read and my sisters boyfriend who is in college wants me to read it for him and he's going to pay me. Is it worth the read? Someone please respond!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

It brought me to wonderful tears

I'm buying this book for my seven siblings. This book brought back so many wonderful childhood memories. The places,struggles,dynamics of the family. Hard times but the best times. I laughed and I cried. The mothers strength and courage and tenacity reminded me so much of my mother. I loved this book. A day later and I'm still smiling.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Outstanding

The Color of Water is an easy read. I read this novel with my English Advance class and everybody seemed to enjoy it as well. The context is straight foward which makes the book fun and enjoyable to read. The Color of Water makes a great summer beach book.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

The best book I'v read in a while.

James McBride is a wonderful writer who makes the book so interesting that it is difficult to put down. That's how good the book is to read. McBride provides excellent details and gives the reader a good view of what the characters are like and what their purpose is in the story. James McBride is an author I would like to meet and I will for sure read 'The Color of Water' again and I will most definitely read more books writen by McBride. I wholeheartedly recommend this book to others. The book will, I think, give people more of an understanding of what black people had to go through in the 1990's. It will also give people an understanding of what a white mother had to go through while raising twelve black children. Over all, I think, 'The Color of Water' is a book every one should read.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

The color of excellence

James McBride makes an outstanding performance in this book which took him fourteen years to write. The result is excellent. A beautiful honest story, full of thruths and full of life. A must-read!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Heartfelt

An excellent read. Truly heartfelt as if I knew the family.

recommended for my daughters

who are both inter racial. Maybe they will read this and appreciate the strife I went through. It wasnt easy in the 60. The new divivion is that there is no division. Not!!! There will always be a difference. It is the person that makes it through the BS.

A joy to read

The Color of Water is a memoir by a man who grew up as a black boy with a white mother. This book is an interesting story about his experiences as a child and teenager, and shares his relationship with his mother. He discusses the pressures he had of living with a white mother in New York, where race played a big role. The story alternated points of view from himself, to a story his mother had written about her life from childhood on. His mother, Ruth, grew up as a Jewish girl in a Christian town.
I had to read this book for school originally, but this story was a joy to read. It was entertaining as well as heartwrenching. I enjoy hearing life stories, and this is one hell of a good one. This story was of course a great representation of racial and religious issues, if you will; this is by far an amazingly inspirational book.
This book was creatively written, with text that is completely un-boring, and includes some humor here and there. The Color of Water is strong, and is completely worth picking up.
My mother hardly reads and is a much harsher judge than I, and she had read this story as well, and thoroughly enjoyed it. She literally could not put it down.

One of my favorites

I read this book a couple of years ago and i have never forgot it since. This book is so wonderful and inspirational. I could not put this book down it is a must read for everybody!!!!

Heartfelt*

This book is amazing! They really should make this into a movie.

Favorite book ever

What more can I say!? Its my all time favorite book everrrr!

Brilliant, this is a must read, highly recommended!!!

This book was loaned to me by a friend, I read it, then purchased it!!! I've loaned it out to friends, and suggested it to many. I will reread it again someday......it is that good!!!

Story Told from a Black Man in a Racist World

James McBride tells his story as he goes through life as a black child in a racial world. Having a white mother and being a black child really troubled McBride throughout his childhood, wondering who he was and why he was different. His mother's only response was that he was the color of water, or in other words the color that god made him. Finally once he got older he was able to get his mother (Ruth) to tell him her story, which had never been told to anyone before. Turns out she was a Jewish woman who had children with a black man which was forbidden. She alienated her entire family out of her life because of bad judgment and her kids meant more to her. James and Ruth struggle to make a compromise with the past. Both greatly want to let go of most of their past and worry about the present. Ruth wants to leave her past as a young girl and the way that she was judged. James wants to forget all the times he was not accepted for his race. Both the mother and son had to learn to be judged the way that they were. Ruth had to learn to be judged because she is a Jewish woman with six black children. James had to learn to stick up for himself and his race. This book was a great book overall, it deserves four stars. The overall message of the book was great and it was funny and sad at the same time. What I did not like was that there wasn't any climax or huge part that the book was based on. I would recommend this book to anyone though because this story of McBride and mother fighting to freedom is amazing.

An Emotional Read

Exceptional reading. Distutbing and heart rending at times. A Jewish woman marries black men and produces a large brood of children. With little to no income and a fierce determination she struggles against prejudices and the ills of society and their daily lives to educate each one of her children. Her methods could probably be questioned but the results speak for themself. A story of unity, triumph and heartache.

A great book

This was a great easy read. I really enjoyed the book. I loved how every other chapter switched from James childhood, and then his mothers life. It was a fresh idea. I would definitely recommend this book.

Needs to be on film!

This book is so good I couldnt put it down. Spike lee needs to make this book into a movie instead of the other James Mcbride book he has chosen to put on film. Ive never read a book so unique in its format. It was like reading 2 stories at once. Must read for all. I love stories with happy endings & this is definetly one of them.

DEFINITELY a MUST read!

I am a junior in high school who was required to read this book for an AP English course. Before I had read this book, I was somewhat dreading it, for it didnt seem like a book in which I would be interested in at all. After completing the first chapter, I found it VERY hard to put the book down. The book is amusing, and James McBride writes in a way that ABSOLUTELY holds the readers interest through EVERY chapter of the book. I recommend this book to everyone; for it is very captivating and worthwhile. Five Stars COMPLETELY. (:

I loved it!

This was an awesome book! It's funny and sad. His mother was such a strong woman and the way he describes her can be quite humorous at times :)