The Color of Water

by Jenn Ballingall, Pablo Barrios, Mary Donnelly, Chelsea Nelson and Loren Rodgers

Summary
First published in 1995 An autobiography of James McBride A tribute to his mother, Ruth The author alternates between his own first person voice and his mother's own words James McBride tells the story of Ruth's life, which begins in the 1920s. Major Conflict: James struggles to come to terms with his racial identity and background

Summary
Ruth was born into a Polish Orthodox Jewish family

She discusses the hardships she went through being a Jewish girl in the South during the first part of the twentieth century.
She endured a constant ridicule at school

She had difficulty making friends there, but she found one true childhood friend in Frances, who accepted Ruth's Jewish background.
She explains that she has become "dead" to her family as a result of her marriage to Andrew Dennis McBride James's African-American father She converted to Christianity and opened a church in Brooklyn

8 children

Summary
James was born after his father died at the age of 45 of lung cancer

Ruth remarried a man named Hunter Jordan, who became like a father to James, and gave Ruth four more children.
The importance of school and the church was instilled in each of the children, and they were strongly disciplined and well-loved. Ruth insisted that they go to Jewish public schools and perform well As each of the children grew older, Ruth insisted that they go away for school so that they could learn to survive and flourish.

Summary
Ruth continued to dodge the issue of race and identity every time James brought it up James continually questioned his mother about his relatives, but she only mentioned those on his father's side, and eventually informed him that she was "dead" to her family. The sixties forced Jamess family face the matters of race and identity James's brother Richie was arrested for a crime he did not commit, in an example of the racism of that time.

At school, Jamess white classmates urged him to dance, assuming that because he was dark-skinned he could dance
James felt embarrassed by his mother's race, and believed life would be easier if his family were one color.

Summary
When Hunter Jordan died James was 14

he began rebelling against his mother

started drinking and doing drugs his grades began to plummet

Ruth then moved the family to Wilmington, Delaware

This is where James got a fresh start He won a scholarship to Oberlin College to study music He pursued a journalism degree at Columbia and initiated a career in both jazz composition and performance and writing.

Summary
James was very confused while in college. He was uncertain about perusing his passion for writing and music. His mixed/ unknown race made his identity very difficult for him This showed by him moving from job to job never satisfied He realized that his professional crisis related to his identity crisis It was at this point he got the idea of creating this memoir He wrote the color of water because he was still confused about his and his mother's identity

Summary
He wrote the color of water because he was still confused about his and his mother's
identity He decided to take a trip down south to where his mother lived He wanted to understand his mother's past, and then understand his own He began to uncover the origins of his mother's family in Virginia James recognizes that of all the extraordinary elements of Ruth's life, her children are what most define her, and are her crowning accomplishment.

Characteristics of the Author

Physical Characteristics:
-Half black/Half Polish

- Self-described as lighter skinned with curly hair, handsome

-The 8th child out of 12, considered part of the little ones

Characteristics of the Author

Emotional Characteristics:
- James feelings about himself, his family and his upbringing go through a range throughout the book in a somewhat back and forth pattern

As a Child
-As a young child, although confused about his family and the different races that make up his family, however, he still loves his mother and is proud of her.

Characteristics of the Author

As as Teenager
- James feels embarrassed and ashamed of his family, along with confusion on what part of his heritage he should identify with

As an Adult
-James is able to reflect on his childhood and become appreciative and thankful for his family, and able to embrace all aspects of his heritage, along with a new respect for his mother

Characteristics of the Author

Writing Style:
-Alternates between his mothers reveal of her past to him and his own memoir telling his perspective on his own childhood. -In harmony, these two narrations tell the story of the McBride familys past, in efforts to help open the eyes of people today about racial injustice. - Colloquial tone

Context
Historical Times
James Born in 1957 during the Civil Rights and Black Power movement Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. molded the countries African American youth Ruth Born in 1921 in Poland Moved to the US at age 2 Lived in the South during a time of white supremacy and bigotry

Context

Place
James o Born in New York City o Grew up Red Hook projects of Brooklyn in rough areas where he had many opportunities to make bad choices o Later moved to Delaware Ruth o Born in Poland o Moved to US at an early age o Family settled in Suffolk, Virginia o Eventually moved to Harlem where she met James father

Context
Current Beliefs

James

Due to the Black Power Movement and Civil Rights Movements all African Americans sought equality by different means.
Questioned identity because of interracial parents In the south at the time there was active discrimination against Jews and heated violence against blacks. Ruth married a black man, and was thus after considered "dead" by her Jewish family. When her mother died, the "Jew" in her passed away completely

Ruth

Context
Attitudes

James

Questioned the authority of the white man

Being biracial members of society arose identity issues Both black and Jewish people experienced hardships She and others lived with constant fear and the threat of violence Desperate poverty and prejudice permeated the South Describes Harlem in the 1940s and 1950s, capturing not only the racial tensions of that period, but also the vitality, culture, and humor of the New York City neighborhood

Ruth

Issues and Problems

Ruth was considered dead to her family

Ruth was born into a Polish orthodox family o Father was sexually abusive o Set poor example to family with lack of honesty Cheated on Mameh Ruths mother and his wife Eventually Ruth left home in Virginia and moved to Harlem o There she met and married Andrew Dennis McBride, Jamess African American father. o Because of the marriage along with her general failure to embrace Judaism, and her defiance of her father, Ruth's family disowned her o Ruth was bitter over the separation and often avoids the topic of

Issues and Problems

Ruth is white and living in a black community- issue of racism

Ruth is a subject to various degrees of prejudice in her life.

Ruth endure exclusion and ridicule as a jew living in the south, and in black neighborhoods during the black power movement(presence of the Klu Klux Klan)

Issues and Problems

James loses his stepfather at the age of 14

as a result, James began to do poorly in school, started experimenting with drugs committed petty theft when James got sent to his sisters house he realized he was doing all of this out of anger and confusion

Issues and Problems

James struggles to find his identity

as a child, James struggled with questions about his mothers skin color and background, at times even questioned if he was adopted. James struggled with making a career decision and broke up with his girlfriend because of identity confusion. He went on a journey to figure out his background.

Themes
-Burden of Secrets

-Racial Prejudice
-Search for Identity

Themes
Burden of Secrets
-James knew little about his mother

-Ruth discouraged curiosity about her past

-Ashamed of what she went through -Ruths pregnancy

-Abortion
-Ruths childhood secrets -Sexually abused by her father

Themes
Racial Prejudice
-Ruth finds racial hatred in America -Ridiculed at school for being Jewish -Interracial marriage -Ruth leaves the white world -...a black woman in white skin (206) -James represents later generations struggle

-The question of race was like the power of the moon in my house. (94)

Themes
Search for Identity
-The American Dream

-Freedom to achieve individuality

-James trying to understand who he is -the part of me that wanted to understand to understand who I was began to irk and itch at me (205) -there were two worlds bursting inside me trying to get out(266)