Lets talk Non-Fiction

Okay I've been looking forward to this blog because I want to specifically talk about a book I read several years ago by James McBride called The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute To His White Mother. Obviously this book had an impact on me and I still think about it quite a lot. It's one of those books that just surprised me. I am not often a fan of memoirs because I have to be pretty interested in a person to read their story. But.......this book just reached out and grabbed me, it had me enthralled from the first page until the last, in fact I read it in one sitting, staying up all night to finish.

The trade paper edition was published in 1998 and was on the New York bestseller list for 2 years. It has won several awards and been published in 16 languages in 20 different countries. That is very impressive for a book but that isn't what kept me reading into the wee hours of the night. It was the words this man used to tell a story about his mother, the way his love for her flowed out of the pages. It was incredible.

Her name was Ruth and she left an abusive home life, moved to Harlem and married a black man in 1942. She was white and Jewish, he was black and a Christian. It shouldn't have worked but it did, she faced many hardships and criticism but the couple loved each other deeply.

James was one of 11 siblings and he weaves his story into his mother's story and the result is brilliant. It was very important to Ruth that all of her children attended the best schools and she would do whatever it took to get them there. Ruth required hard work and respect from her children and while often James wondered about his white mother and race issues, his mother was more concerned with his moral make-up. In spite of struggling with drugs and alcohol, James went onto to a prestigious school and became a respected author and musician. James wasn't alone in his success each of his siblings went to college and obtained various degrees. In Ruth's eyes her hard work has paid off, even though she herself suffered from depression and at times despair. She had left her own family as a young girl and never quite got to reconcile with her own brothers and sister. She was completely uneducated but inherently wise. I admire her.

I hope this gives you a little push to read this book. It is timeless and I hope that you will love it as much as I did. When you're done reading lets talk about it! Can't wait.