My Rating: 3.0
The Color of Water blends James McBride's own story with the life of his mother, Ruth McBride, born Rachel Shilsky. Through alternating chapters, readers learn about Ruth's difficult childhood as the daughter of an abusive Orthodox rabbi, her escape from a painful home in Virginia, her marriages, and her determination to raise twelve children despite poverty, racism, and hardship.
McBride weaves his own coming-of-age story throughout the book, sharing his experiences growing up as a mixed-race child, his struggles with identity, and the path that eventually led him to a successful life.
If you enjoy nonfiction and memoirs, you'll probably appreciate this book more than I did. While Ruth's story certainly contained its share of hardship and perseverance, I found myself much more interested in James McBride's chapters about his own childhood and his siblings than in Ruth's earlier life. The book explores themes of family, identity, race, and resilience, but overall it just wasn't a favorite for me.
I read this years ago and I remember it being ok too.
ReplyDeleteIt is weird as I think he is a good writer but the book definitely didn't grab me.
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