Summer 2002 (Class of 2006): The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to his White Mother by James McBride (1997)
Book Description-
As a boy in Brooklyn's Red Hook projects, James McBride knew his
mother was different. But when he asked about it, she'd simply say
"I'm light-skinned." Later he wondered if he was different, too, and
asked his mother if he was black or white. "You're a human being,"
she snapped. "Educate yourself or you'll be a nobody!" And when
James asked what color God was, she said, "God is the color of
water."...As an adult, McBride finally persuaded his mother to tell
her story--the story of a rabbi's daughter, born in Poland and
raised in the South, who fled to Harlem, married a black man,
founded a Baptist church, and put twelve children through college.
The Color of Water is James McBride's tribute to his
remarkable, eccentric, determined mother--and an eloquent
exploration of what family really means.-2006 edition
Discussion Questions
1. Chapter 9 ("Shul") and Chapter 10 ("School") reflect two diverse learning experiences. Compare the two and how they affect James and Ruth.
2. Through the stories of James and Ruth, what did you learn about racial and ethnic identity in the United States? What, if anything, surprised you? What troubled you? What would you like to learn about?
3. James McBride's family experience is unusual. How can people with other family experiences learn something about themselves from this book?
4. Choose a passage that impressed you. Be prepared to share it and explain why.
5. In every book an author makes choices about style and structure. Which of McBride's choices seems particularly successful?
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