Colorof Water :: essays research papers

Before I read "The Color of Water," by James McBride, I apothegm hisappearance on 20/20, discussing his quest to discover the background ofhis mysterious, marvelous mother. McBride said he didnt even know hismothers maiden name, much less closely her Orthodox Jewish background,until he prodded it from her because he needed it for school records. "Shilsky," she told him, impatiently, offering no further details.McBride, who is now about 42 years old, said he asked no more questionsof her, plainly added when he was "bonding" in Black Pride with his collegefriends, playing bongo drums and jazz music, hed think "Shilsky. Shilsky.Somethings funny here...". Watching him on television, such a fascinating, articulate and yetentertaining man, make me want to know more about his amazing mother. Ireceived a feign of the book as a gift.None of Ruth McBrides 12 children knew anything of substance about herbackground. When they asked what color she was, she wou ld answer, "Iam no color" and say that graven image is "the color of water."Ruth Shilsky, whose father was an abusive Orthodox Jewish Rabbi, treatedher and her mother extremely cruelly when she was a young girl in Suffolk,Virginia. Jews were discriminated against guerilla only to faints. But Ruthfell in love with a young black man, became pregnant by him, and was sentto live with an aunt in New York city. She never went home again. She feltmuch more at home in 1940s Harlem, and fell in love with another blackman, having a baby and living with him for more than a year before they werewed and had several more children. They made a good life together, but he died. Ruth later married yet anotherremarkable black man, having more children with him for a total of 12.James was in the middle, precocious, curious, bright and at risk forbecoming a street kid. But he didnt have that much time. He didnt know why at the time, but hismother made him and his siblings attend a Jew ish school out of theirneighborhood, feeling that they would receive a better education there. As a young man, McBride started down the handle path -- smoking dope,stealing, hanging out with bad company. But his stern mother seemed tointervene at the right time, delivering the fear and discipline McBride needed.All 12 of Ruth McBrides children received college degrees, mastersdegrees, and several became physicians, attorneys and scientists. McBridehas been a journalist for some of the nations most prestigious newspapers,