Reading Selection - April 2004

The Color of Water, by James McBride

JAMES MCBRIDE born in 1957, is the son of the late Andrew McBride, an African American Baptist Minister, and Ruth McBride Jordan (born Rachel Shilsky), a Polish Jewish immigrant. He grew up in New York City (Harlem, Brooklyn and Queens), one of twelve children, including four siblings from his mother's second marriage. McBride graduated from Oberlin College and earned his Master's degree in journalism at Columbia University. He worked as a staff writer for The Washington Post, The Boston Globe and The Wilmington News Journal (Delaware). He has also written for Rolling Stone, The Philadelphia Inquirer, US, and Essence. McBride has worked as a jazz saxophonist, touring with jazz vocalist Jimmy Scott. His compositions have been recorded and performed by Anita Baker, Grover Washington, Jr., and Gary Burton, among others. His musical theater composition, "Bobos", was awarded the American Music Theater Festival's Stephen Sondheim Award. His memoir, The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother originated as a 1982 Mother's Day piece for The Boston Globe. Response to the newspaper story was so positive, he was persuaded to work on a book. The hardcover edition was published in 1996 by Riverhead Books. The trade paper edition, published in February, 1998, was on the New York Times bestseller list for over 2 years.

THE COLOR OF WATER is a young black man's search to uncover his white mother's past and his own identity. Born in Poland, the daughter of a rabbi, James McBride's mother grew up in the Southern United States, ran away to Harlem, married a black man and founded a Baptist church, and then proceeded to put 12 children through college. McBride examines her life, his own childhood in Brooklyn's Red Hook housing projects, and the force of his mother's love which guided his and his siblings' lives.

Reviews of The Color of Water Include:

"Complex and moving... suffused with issues of race, religion and identity. Yet those issues, so much a part of their lives and stories, are not central. The triumph of the book—and of their lives—is that race and religion are transcended in these interwoven histories by family love, the sheer force of a mother's will and her unshakable insistence that only two things really mattered: school and church... The two stories, son's and mother's, beautifully juxtaposed, strike a graceful note at a time of racial polarization." New York Times Book Review

"This moving and unforgettable memoir needs to be read by people of all colors and faiths." Publishers Weekly

"Fascinating...Superbly written." Boston Globe

"Told with humor and clear-eyed grace...a terrific story...The sheer strength of spirit, pain and humor of McBride and his mother as they wrestled with different aspects of race and identity is vividly told...I laughed and thrilled to her brood of twelve kids." The Nation

"As lively as a novel, a well-written, thoughtful contribution to the literature on race." Washington Post Book World

"Poignant...a uniquely American coming of age...Ruth McBride Jordan's anecdotes are richly detailed, her voice clear and engaging. And she has a story worth telling." Miami Herald

Please note, if you have not yet read The Color of Water, the reading group discussion guide below might include some spoilers.

Reading Group Discussion Guide:

1. Discuss Ruth McBride's refusal to reveal her past and how that influenced her children's sense of themselves and their place in the world. How has your knowledge—or lack thereof—about your family background shaped your own self-image?

2. The McBride children's struggle with their identities led each to his or her own "revolution." Is it also possible that that same struggle led them to define themselves through professional achievement?

3. Several of the McBride children became involved in the civil rights movement. Do you think that this was a result of the times in which they lived, their need to belong to a group that lent them a solid identity, or a combination of these factors?

4. "Our house was a combination three-ring circus and zoo, complete with ongoing action, daring feats, music, and animals." Does Helen leave to escape her chaotic homelife or to escape the mother whose very appearance confuses her about who she is?

5. "It was in her sense of education, more than any other, that Mommy conveyed her Jewishness to us." Do you agree with this statement? Is it possible that Ruth McBride Jordan's unshakable devotion to her faith, even though she converted to Christianity from Judaism, stems from her Orthodox Jewish upbringing?

6. "Mommy's contradictions crashed and slammed against one another like bumper cars at Coney Island. White folks, she felt, were implicitly evil toward blacks, yet she forced us to go to white schools to get the best education. Blacks could be trusted more, but anything involving blacks was probably substandard... She was against welfare and never applied for it despite our need, but championed those who availed themselves of it." Do you think these contradictions served to confuse Ruth's children further, or did they somehow contribute to the balanced view of humanity that James McBride possesses?

7. While reading the descriptions of the children's hunger, did you wonder why Ruth did not seek out some kind of assistance?

8. Do you think it was naive of Ruth McBride Jordan to think that her love for her family and her faith in God would overcome all potential obstacles or did you find her faith in God's love and guidance inspiring?

9. How do you feel about Ruth McBride Jordan's use of a belt to discipline her children?

10. While reading the book, were you curious about how Ruth McBride Jordan's remarkable faith had translated into the adult lives of her children? Do you think that faith is something that can be passed on from one generation to the next or do you think that faith that is instilled too strongly in children eventually causes them to turn away from it?

11. Do you think it would be possible to achieve what Ruth McBride has achieved in today's society?

A Selection of Subjects Covered in The Color of Water:

World War II: Segregation at Home & Abroad
"Civil Rights Era: Sit-ins, Freedom Rides, and Demonstrations" is part of the "African American Odyssey" exhibition by the U.S. Library of Congress. The exhibit contains photographs, drawings, and descriptions of the efforts to end segregation and racial discrimination in the South.

Segregation
Presents information about the 1960s Journey of Reconciliation or the Freedom Ride, an effort to test the commitment to civil rights held by U.S. President John F. Kennedy (1917-1963), compiled by Lisa Cozzens. Explains that the strategy was for an interracial group to test the separate but equal policies of the American South, which the U.S. Supreme Court had found to be unconstitutional in 1946.

The Civil Rights Timeline
The Learning Network Inc. presents a time line highlighting the major events related to the civil rights movement in the United States. The time line begins with the 1954 Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas, and ends in 1991 with the signing of the 1991 Civil Rights Act. Elissa Haney compiled this time line. This material is appropriate for use with middle or high school students.

The Black Panther Newspaper Collection
This page makes available some of the original writings of the Black Panther Party from its first three years of existence (1966-1969) when it grew to be an explosive power and the predominant influence in the Black nation

The History of the United States from 1920 to 1945

Social Trends 1920 to 1945

Links:

James McBride: the Author, the Musician