The Color of Water: A Black Man’s Tribute to His White Mother is James McBride’s deeply moving memoir that weaves together two powerful narratives: his search for identity as a mixed-race child and the extraordinary life story of his mother, Ruth McBride Jordan. Ruth, born Ruchel Dwora Zylska in Poland in 1921, was the daughter of an Orthodox Jewish rabbi whose cruelty and abuse left lasting scars. After her family emigrated to America and settled in Virginia, she endured not only her father’s oppression but also the harsh sting of anti-Semitism. Rejecting the life her family tried to impose upon her, she fled at seventeen to New York City. There, she remade herself, married a black minister, and began a new life that defied both racial and cultural boundaries. Twice widowed and raising twelve children in the projects of Red Hook, Brooklyn, Ruth instilled in them an unshakable faith, a relentless drive for education, and the conviction that “God is the color of water”—a truth that transcends skin color, religion, or background. For much of his youth, James McBride struggled with confusion and shame about his mother’s race and his own identity. Surrounded by poverty, violence, and drugs, he wrestled with belonging in a world that seemed to reject him on all sides. It was not until adulthood that he began to uncover Ruth’s past, piecing together her journey of survival, resilience, and transformation. In alternating chapters, his voice intertwines with Ruth’s, capturing the raw honesty of her memories alongside his own reflections of growing up in a house filled with love, discipline, and “orchestrated chaos.” Ruth’s unwavering determination saw all twelve of her children through college, with many pursuing graduate degrees, even as she herself returned to school at sixty-five to earn a degree in social work. Her story stands as a testament to the power of faith, perseverance, and the ability to create a life of meaning despite overwhelming adversity. Poetic and unflinchingly honest, The Color of Water is not only a memoir about race, identity, and family—it is a tribute to a remarkable woman whose courage and sacrifices shaped the lives of her children. James McBride’s heartfelt narrative captures both the pain and the beauty of growing up between worlds, and the profound truth that love and spirit are what truly define us.
