Don't Miss

• Morrison's Gift Picks
• Holiday Catalog 2009
• NYRB Classics: Save 30%
• Paperback Favorites
  for Book Groups
• Springer Math Sale!
• Subscribe to Indiespensable

More at Powell's

• Featured Signed Editions
• Rare and Collectible Books
• eBooks | Audio | DVDs | Blu-ray

The Powells.com Interview with Eoin Colfer

1. 
   $18.19 Sale Hardcover add to wish list

   And Another Thing... (Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy #6)

   Eoin Colfer

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

What Our Readers Are Saying

Add a comment for a chance to win!

Average customer rating based on 2 comments:

chocochic53, May 3, 2009 (view all comments by chocochic53)
The Color of Water is an fascinating memoir. As a Caucasian living in a predominately Caucasian town in the U.S. I have never experienced many issues with race. Seeing the struggle that James went through as a black man with a white mother trying to discover the importance of race and background was very interesting and gave me a view into a completely different way of life, even though it is still in the same country as me. I would recommend this book to people of any ethnicity, even if you don't like discussing or reading about race. This is not a normal story and it opened my eyes in incredible ways.

Was this comment helpful? | Yes | No
(2 of 3 readers found this comment helpful)

report this comment

Jeane, April 2, 2008 (view all comments by Jeane)
This memoir tells the story of two members of a family: James McBride and his mother, Ruth. Ruth was the daughter of immigrant Orthodox Jews. She grew up in the South under the hand of an abusive father. As soon as she was old enough, Ruth fled north, where she married a Black man, converted to Christianity, founded a Baptist church, and eventually raised twelve children. James was the youngest of these. He tells the story of growing up in a poor, bi-racial household alongside the story of his mother's life, which he had to wheedle out of her. As much as The Color of Water addresses issues of racism, identity and religion, it is more about family values. It is about how one rather eccentric woman lived the way she wanted to without regard to anyone's opinion, and instilled in her children strong moral codes and work ethic. They learned above all from their mother the value of education and how to make do for themselves- for they all graduated from college. However, other examples of Ruth's parenting skills leave something to be desired. Her children suffered constantly from huger and poverty, and she was extremely secretive about her own past and family, even when questioned about it by her children. A very unsettling book, by any accounts.

Was this comment helpful? | Yes | No
(6 of 11 readers found this comment helpful)

report this comment

View all 2 comments

Product Details

ISBN:

9781594481925

Subtitle:

A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother

Author:

Mcbride, James

Author:

McBride, James

Publisher:

Riverhead Books

Subject:

People of Color

Subject:

Mothers

Subject:

Racially mixed people

Subject:

Personal Memoirs

Subject:

Parenting - Parent & Adult Child

Subject:

cultural heritage

Subject:

Discrimination & Race Relations

Subject:

New york (n.y.)

Subject:

Racially mixed people - New York (State) -

Edition Number:

10

Edition Description:

Anniversary

Publication Date:

January 2006

Binding:

Paperback

Grade Level:

General/trade

Language:

English

Pages:

328

Dimensions:

8.10x5.06x.74 in. .56 lbs.