SKU: 70816282664

The Color of Water

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The Color of WaterBy: James McBride From the bestselling author of Deacon King Kong and the National Book Award winning The Good Lord Bird: The modern classic that spent more than two years on The New York Times bestseller list and that Oprah. com calls one of the best memoirs of a generation. Who is Ruth McBride Jordan? A self declared "light skinned" woman evasive about her ethnicity, yet steadfast in her love for her twelve black children. James McBride, journalist,

By: James McBride     
From the bestselling author of Deacon King Kong and the National Book Award-winning The Good Lord Bird: The modern classic that spent more than two years on The New York Times bestseller list and that Oprah.com calls one of the best memoirs of a generation. 

Who is Ruth McBride Jordan? A self-declared "light-skinned" woman evasive about her ethnicity, yet steadfast in her love for her twelve black children. James McBride, journalist, musician, and son, explores his mother's past, as well as his own upbringing and heritage, in a poignant and powerful debut, The Color Of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother. The son of a black minister and a woman who would not admit she was white, James McBride grew up in "orchestrated chaos" with his eleven siblings in the poor, all-black projects of Red Hook, Brooklyn. "Mommy," a fiercely protective woman with "dark eyes full of pep and fire," herded her brood to Manhattan's free cultural events, sent them off on buses to the best (and mainly Jewish) schools, demanded good grades, and commanded respect. As a young man, McBride saw his mother as a source of embarrassment, worry, and confusion—and reached thirty before he began to discover the truth about her early life and long-buried pain.
In The Color of Water, McBride retraces his mother's footsteps and, through her searing and spirited voice, recreates her remarkable story. The daughter of a failed itinerant Orthodox rabbi, she was born Rachel Shilsky (actually Ruchel Dwara Zylska) in Poland on April 1, 1921. Fleeing pogroms, her family emigrated to America and ultimately settled in Suffolk, Virginia, a small town where anti-Semitism and racial tensions ran high. With candor and immediacy, Ruth describes her parents' loveless marriage; her fragile, handicapped mother; her cruel, sexually-abusive father; and the rest of the family and life she abandoned.
At seventeen, after fleeing Virginia and settling in New York City, Ruth married a black minister and founded the all- black New Brown Memorial Baptist Church in her Red Hook living room. "God is the color of water," Ruth McBride taught her children, firmly convinced that life's blessings and life's values transcend race. Twice widowed, and continually confronting overwhelming adversity and racism, Ruth's determination, drive and discipline saw her dozen children through college—and most through graduate school. At age 65, she herself received a degree in social work from Temple University.
Interspersed throughout his mother's compelling narrative, McBride shares candid recollections of his own experiences as a mixed-race child of poverty, his flirtations with drugs and violence, and his eventual self- realization and professional success. The Color of Water touches readers of all colors as a vivid portrait of growing up, a haunting meditation on race and identity, and a lyrical valentine to a mother from her son.
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SKU: 70816282664

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Nancy Collins
Carnegie, US
★★★★★ 5
Highly recommend!
Format: Hardcover
We loved this book so much we bought it for our sons’ uncle when he had his first! My husband has read it to every one of our children and it’s always a favorite!
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Reviewed in the United States on January 17, 2026
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Hoosiergirl83
Lowell, US
★★★★★ 5
:)
Format: Kindle
Adorable. When my 3 boys miss their daddy while he's at work, its really nice to have this book! Especially for my 3 year old. Its nice to know daddies have important jobs & that they're not the only kids waiting for their daddy to come home. It's also nice to reassure them that daddy can't wait to see them either! Sweet, nostalgic pictures. Love it.
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Reviewed in the United States on June 5, 2013
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Judith Jane
Lake Worth, US
★★★★★ 5
A classic reclaimed!
This classic Little Golden Book was my first "favorite book" as a little girl of four years who adored her daddy. Knowing full well that copy didn't survive the 60 plus years that have passed, I was elated to find it still in print. I found I still knew many pages by heart! My goal is to read it unendingly to a grandson who adores his daddy. Though the pictures are dated, and some of the occupations don't exist anymore, the love and respect a hard-working family man deserves is still well communicated--and the love of a child for it's father is still lovingly affirmed. I'm delighted with my purchase!
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Reviewed in the United States on January 11, 2019
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Susan B.
Whiting, US
★★★★★ 5
A childhood favorite
Format: Hardcover
I used to read this book over and over. I bought it for someone recently and re-read it with many tears. It's a real Golden classic! It's wholesome, cute, funny, and familial. Kids AND adults will love reading it. Plus, it transports you back to the 50s!
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Reviewed in the United States on February 12, 2013
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TheMrs.R
Omaha, US
★★★★★ 4
Just fine
Format: Hardcover
This was a good book. My husbands job doesn't really fit into any of the categories, it's very basic normal man jobs, so any job out of the ordinary won't be present in the book. Still a cute book with a good ending :)
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Reviewed in the United States on November 18, 2015

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