The Color of Water

McBride, James. The Color of Water. 2006. 291p. 411 mins. ISBN 1-59448-192-X. Available as an audiobook on Overdrive.

James McBride is one of twelve siblings. His mother, Ruth McBride Jordan, is a hard working Polish Jew who left her family in Virginia to live in New York City where she married James’ father, an African-American man. Battling institutional racism as the white mother of twelve black children, Ruth nonetheless fought on and instilled in all of her progeny the desire to succeed and triumph over adversity.

James intermingles her story along with his own to describe how Ruth never strayed from the path she had set for herself and her family despite extreme poverty and loneliness. Living a harsh life with a racist and abusive father, Ruth ran away at the age of 17, pregnant with her first child by Peter, her black boyfriend. She met Dennis, the love of her life and James’ father in Harlem, but he died shortly before James’ birth. Alone with eight children, she persisted and once again fell in love, this time with Hunter Jordan. They had four children together.

James grew up in a chaotic environment where questions of faith and race were secondary to survival. Guided by a strict moral code, Ruth managed to send all twelve children to college. A heartfelt memoir, The Color of Water offers an unvarnished look at how Ruth’s strength of character and her devotion to her family allowed her to defeat adversity, and taught James the value of perseverance and hard work.