I am currently reading the Color of Water by James McBride with the rest of my class. We have read up to chapter 14, and so far, it has been a great book. The book is a memoir, on the front cover it also says "A black man's tribute to his white mother". The memoir offers a unique perspective I am not very familiar with.
The best thing about the book so far is definitely the varying ways McBride makes his book so unique, I have never anything close to this before Yet his experiences are so real, that you can easily make connections.
First, the story is instantly set apart when in the beginning chapters a reader will realize the whole book is written in two perspectives, with neither taking control of the book. The two sides are set in time periods half a century apart, but still coalesce to make a complete story. A reader will have no trouble following both James McBride's own point of view, and his mother's. However at the end of each chapter, the book always leaves you wanting more, but instead switches to the next perspective, which immediately engrosses you back into the novel.
McBride also makes his story easy to connect to, even with its extreme details. Much of the beginning chapters talk about his life as a child. He had 11 other brother's and sisters, so even though not many people can directly connect to that, his details of his household allowed many people, with maybe only 1 sibling be able to connect. A prime example is the fighting for food between him and his siblings. Any pair of kids in the household can relate to the bickering that goes on when food is at stake. Other examples are personal experiences of McBride's. James McBride tells stories of his hardships on his first days of kindergarten, and his struggles through high school. Common experiences that most people go through.
The other side of the book is just as relatable and unique. Ruth describes her journey from childhood to young adult with interesting details. The effects Ruth's mother having polio, and the work that her father made her do in the family store, all played out to mean something in the book. Each experience is meaningful, in that Ruth always learns something that helps her later in life. An example is her first boyfriend. Having been betrayed, she is reluctant to give up love so easily when she meets Rocky. But when she meets Dennis, she realized what love was, and what trust was, which eventually led to her step-husband.
In conclusion, I highly suggest anyone even slightly interested to read this book. You will learn a lot!
