James Mcbride's The Color Of Water
At the beginning of the book it starts to talk about Ruth, James McBride's, mother. We learn of the life Ruth had and who her family was. Learning that Ruth was Jewish and the her family consisted of two siblings and her parents. The father was Fishel Shilsky and the mother was Hudis Shilsky. These two got an arranged marriage in order to get/stay in the U.S. Fishel, or Tateh (meaning father), was a mean and crude father and never really liked his children. Hudis, or Mameh (meaning mother), was kind of mild and loved her children, but also suffered from polio. Tateh used to be a rabbi, but then moved to the colored part of town and started a business. Mameh never really loved him, but she could not leave him because she could not provide for the
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kids due to her illness. The book then fast forwards into the life of James McBride. It starts out by telling us who one of his fathers were, Hunter Jordan, because he had a couple of fathers in his life.
It tells us how Hunter had four out of twelve kids with Ruth he was the second husband. Once he died, Ruth began to ride on a bicycle to symbolise her constant moving. James is pretty heavily affected as well because he started to turn to crime, drugs, and fail his classes. He also started to notice that his mother was different and that she did not mind/care for the issues of race. James always struggled with the fact that his mother had a different skin color than him and different background as in religion. He sometimes thought of himself as adopted. He had problems with race because he grew up during the Civil Rights Era and had trouble finding himself to fit in. He finds, through his mother, that family, church, and school is more important than racial issues. James learns that his mother can be confusing due to her many contradictions; believed to be fueled by her used to being a Jew. James worried about his mother and even remembered a time where he went off to camp and tried to warn her about the Black Panther next to her. He was too late, so he punched the son of the Black Panther in the
face. James describe his family life as one that is competition. His mother could not be in charge and watch all the kids all the time, so the older you were the more power/say you had. All the kids were compared to James’s older brother, Dennis, who came out a complete success in life. During this time of the Civil Rights Movement, James’s sister, Helen, ran away from home after a big fight because she was trying to be a Civil Right Activist. The Book then goes into talking about Ruth’s life in which she had moved to Suffolk, Virginia. This is where her father set up a store and then there were conflicts. Ruth describes growing up there and how she was sexualy assulted by Tateh and how she got a low self esteem. Ruth describes some of the expectations that her and her siblings had from Tateh. These expectation, where what she believed, made her brother, Sam, run away. Sam later died in WW2. These expectations are what led to her running away and other issues that arose. Ruth describes her life in Suffolk as one that was not pleasant. Since she was Jew she was made fun of and had prejudice against her. She found a friend, Frances, who accepted her as she was. Ruth starts to see the KKK and this is the beginning to why she hates the South.
Toward the middle of the book James further describes his life as a child growing up and how he used/found Jazz as an escape from the reality of his life. He often questioned his mother about his race. He felt embarrassed by the fact that his family was not all one color. His mother tried to hide the issue and not answer directly, until Richie, James’s brother, got arrested for a crime. Besides the issue of race, James also asked about his relatives. His mother would never tell him of his relatives on her side. He later learned that his mother walked out on her family. James finds out that his biological father was Andrew McBride and that he had died before he was born. This is why he referred to Hunter as his dad. Hunter worked all his life, working as a furnace fireman, and he took care of Ruth and her kids. He lived in a separate house, because he could not deal with the mess, but always provided for Ruth and the kids. He later had a stroke, got out of the hospital, and died a while later. Two days before death, He told James to take care of the family and especially Ruth. This is where James’s life gets turned upside down. Ruth finds out about James’s behavior, stealing, failing, and not going to church, and would send him to go live with his sister Jack. This was in Louisville kentucky, where he met Big Richard, Jack’s husband. James would spend 3 summers here. He started to hang out at this place called the corner with Richard and found people he liked. James got a job at a gas station and then later fired because he got into a fight. He found Chicken Man, who would later tell him how life is and that he should stop doing what he is doing. When James went back he tried to teach his mother how to drive. After a few failed attempts he gave up. He started to think carefully about his life and how it needed to change, so he started to put his faith into God again. Later in his life, his family had to move from New York because it was too expensive. They moved to Delaware where James started to play an instrument and started to play Jazz more often. James decided that he wanted to become a musician and applied at Oberlin college where he was accepted. He was leaving his mother for the first time in a long time, his mother supported him, but after his bus left she broke down crying. In the middle of the book we also see Ruth grow up and face important life changing decisions. Ruth falls in love with a black boy. His name was Peter. They secretly met each other in different places and hoped to not get caught. Ruth then became pregnant and did not tell anyone, but her mother found out one day when she overheard them. Mameh decided that Ruth should go to New York, where Mameh’s sister(Aunt Betsy) was. While living there, Aunt Betsey found out what was wrong with Ruth and helped her get an abortion. During Ruth’s junior year of highschool she had to return to Suffolk. She talked to Peter, who said he loved her, and then found out that he got another girl pregnant. Ruth was ready to leave. Once she graduated high school she left to New York City, even though her sister begged her to stay and her father threatened her. She arrived in New York and stayed with Bubeh, which was her grandmother. She started to work at a leather factory. It was owned by her Aunt Mary. She was badly treated and quit, so she found a job working at a nail salon who had this manager named Rocky. Rocky was a pimp and wanted Ruth to be a prostitute, but she did not know and followed him. Ruth found out what he was trying to do and ignored him from then on. This whole time Ruth was living with Andrew McBride and they met at her Aunt Mary’s factory. When Mameh became sick, Ruth went back to Suffolk for a little while. She helped out and found out that Tateh was having an affaire. During this time Tateh tries to get a divorce with Mameh, but it doesn’t work out. Later, Ruth makes a promise with her sister to stay. She broke the promise and left to get back to Andrew.
At the end of the book, Ruth starts to become a grown independent woman. Ruth left Suffolk for the last time, thinking she would never return. Mameh gave Ruth her passport just so that Ruth would have a picture of her. Later, Andrew found out that Mameh had been in a hospital and told Ruth. She wanted to go see her but was reminded that she was not connected with her family anymore. Ruth found out that she died and felt guilt for abandoning her. Ruth then married Andrew and remembers all the racial discrimination. This is when Ruth switched to the Christian Faith. They lived in a small room for nine years and those were the happiest years of her life. Andrew fell sick when Ruth was pregnant with James. Andrew had lung cancer. Ruth struggled with bills and everything else. She sought help from her family but they did not help. That is when she met Hunter Jordan. Toward the end of the book we see, James go to the South to find out more about his mother's past. With his confusion about himself, he starts to look for answers about his mother. He then starts to write a book about his life and this is the reason why he keeps quitting his jobs at different journalism places. When arriving in Suffolk he finds a Mcdonald’s there where the old Shilsky house used to be. Then he finds Eddie Thompson where he found more information about his mother. James then found the old Synagogue, but could not get any information, so he met with Aubrey Rubinstein. He went back to his hotel, where he woke up in the middle of the night and took a walk by the river. He felt what his mother felt all those years ago. Toward the very end, James goes with his mother to a church, where Ruth started it, and Ruth gave an energetic speech even though she had some bad feelings about the church. James discusses what his college and career life was like and how he jumped from company to company. He tells us how his race kept him from being at one place and that he had to find himself. He never felt satisfied with any job, so he then thought about writing this book. Ruth finally returns to Suffolk to see a old friend and returned with James and a couple of other siblings. James goes into listing all the children and their accomplishments as well as how the house gets chaotic like it used to be when they were kids during the holidays. In the epilogue, James and his mother attend a wedding that was his co-workers. James learns that his mother still sees Judaism as a big part of her heritage.
kids due to her illness. The book then fast forwards into the life of James McBride. It starts out by telling us who one of his fathers were, Hunter Jordan, because he had a couple of fathers in his life.
It tells us how Hunter had four out of twelve kids with Ruth he was the second husband. Once he died, Ruth began to ride on a bicycle to symbolise her constant moving. James is pretty heavily affected as well because he started to turn to crime, drugs, and fail his classes. He also started to notice that his mother was different and that she did not mind/care for the issues of race. James always struggled with the fact that his mother had a different skin color than him and different background as in religion. He sometimes thought of himself as adopted. He had problems with race because he grew up during the Civil Rights Era and had trouble finding himself to fit in. He finds, through his mother, that family, church, and school is more important than racial issues. James learns that his mother can be confusing due to her many contradictions; believed to be fueled by her used to being a Jew. James worried about his mother and even remembered a time where he went off to camp and tried to warn her about the Black Panther next to her. He was too late, so he punched the son of the Black Panther in the
face. James describe his family life as one that is competition. His mother could not be in charge and watch all the kids all the time, so the older you were the more power/say you had. All the kids were compared to James’s older brother, Dennis, who came out a complete success in life. During this time of the Civil Rights Movement, James’s sister, Helen, ran away from home after a big fight because she was trying to be a Civil Right Activist. The Book then goes into talking about Ruth’s life in which she had moved to Suffolk, Virginia. This is where her father set up a store and then there were conflicts. Ruth describes growing up there and how she was sexualy assulted by Tateh and how she got a low self esteem. Ruth describes some of the expectations that her and her siblings had from Tateh. These expectation, where what she believed, made her brother, Sam, run away. Sam later died in WW2. These expectations are what led to her running away and other issues that arose. Ruth describes her life in Suffolk as one that was not pleasant. Since she was Jew she was made fun of and had prejudice against her. She found a friend, Frances, who accepted her as she was. Ruth starts to see the KKK and this is the beginning to why she hates the South.
Toward the middle of the book James further describes his life as a child growing up and how he used/found Jazz as an escape from the reality of his life. He often questioned his mother about his race. He felt embarrassed by the fact that his family was not all one color. His mother tried to hide the issue and not answer directly, until Richie, James’s brother, got arrested for a crime. Besides the issue of race, James also asked about his relatives. His mother would never tell him of his relatives on her side. He later learned that his mother walked out on her family. James finds out that his biological father was Andrew McBride and that he had died before he was born. This is why he referred to Hunter as his dad. Hunter worked all his life, working as a furnace fireman, and he took care of Ruth and her kids. He lived in a separate house, because he could not deal with the mess, but always provided for Ruth and the kids. He later had a stroke, got out of the hospital, and died a while later. Two days before death, He told James to take care of the family and especially Ruth. This is where James’s life gets turned upside down. Ruth finds out about James’s behavior, stealing, failing, and not going to church, and would send him to go live with his sister Jack. This was in Louisville kentucky, where he met Big Richard, Jack’s husband. James would spend 3 summers here. He started to hang out at this place called the corner with Richard and found people he liked. James got a job at a gas station and then later fired because he got into a fight. He found Chicken Man, who would later tell him how life is and that he should stop doing what he is doing. When James went back he tried to teach his mother how to drive. After a few failed attempts he gave up. He started to think carefully about his life and how it needed to change, so he started to put his faith into God again. Later in his life, his family had to move from New York because it was too expensive. They moved to Delaware where James started to play an instrument and started to play Jazz more often. James decided that he wanted to become a musician and applied at Oberlin college where he was accepted. He was leaving his mother for the first time in a long time, his mother supported him, but after his bus left she broke down crying. In the middle of the book we also see Ruth grow up and face important life changing decisions. Ruth falls in love with a black boy. His name was Peter. They secretly met each other in different places and hoped to not get caught. Ruth then became pregnant and did not tell anyone, but her mother found out one day when she overheard them. Mameh decided that Ruth should go to New York, where Mameh’s sister(Aunt Betsy) was. While living there, Aunt Betsey found out what was wrong with Ruth and helped her get an abortion. During Ruth’s junior year of highschool she had to return to Suffolk. She talked to Peter, who said he loved her, and then found out that he got another girl pregnant. Ruth was ready to leave. Once she graduated high school she left to New York City, even though her sister begged her to stay and her father threatened her. She arrived in New York and stayed with Bubeh, which was her grandmother. She started to work at a leather factory. It was owned by her Aunt Mary. She was badly treated and quit, so she found a job working at a nail salon who had this manager named Rocky. Rocky was a pimp and wanted Ruth to be a prostitute, but she did not know and followed him. Ruth found out what he was trying to do and ignored him from then on. This whole time Ruth was living with Andrew McBride and they met at her Aunt Mary’s factory. When Mameh became sick, Ruth went back to Suffolk for a little while. She helped out and found out that Tateh was having an affaire. During this time Tateh tries to get a divorce with Mameh, but it doesn’t work out. Later, Ruth makes a promise with her sister to stay. She broke the promise and left to get back to Andrew.
At the end of the book, Ruth starts to become a grown independent woman. Ruth left Suffolk for the last time, thinking she would never return. Mameh gave Ruth her passport just so that Ruth would have a picture of her. Later, Andrew found out that Mameh had been in a hospital and told Ruth. She wanted to go see her but was reminded that she was not connected with her family anymore. Ruth found out that she died and felt guilt for abandoning her. Ruth then married Andrew and remembers all the racial discrimination. This is when Ruth switched to the Christian Faith. They lived in a small room for nine years and those were the happiest years of her life. Andrew fell sick when Ruth was pregnant with James. Andrew had lung cancer. Ruth struggled with bills and everything else. She sought help from her family but they did not help. That is when she met Hunter Jordan. Toward the end of the book we see, James go to the South to find out more about his mother's past. With his confusion about himself, he starts to look for answers about his mother. He then starts to write a book about his life and this is the reason why he keeps quitting his jobs at different journalism places. When arriving in Suffolk he finds a Mcdonald’s there where the old Shilsky house used to be. Then he finds Eddie Thompson where he found more information about his mother. James then found the old Synagogue, but could not get any information, so he met with Aubrey Rubinstein. He went back to his hotel, where he woke up in the middle of the night and took a walk by the river. He felt what his mother felt all those years ago. Toward the very end, James goes with his mother to a church, where Ruth started it, and Ruth gave an energetic speech even though she had some bad feelings about the church. James discusses what his college and career life was like and how he jumped from company to company. He tells us how his race kept him from being at one place and that he had to find himself. He never felt satisfied with any job, so he then thought about writing this book. Ruth finally returns to Suffolk to see a old friend and returned with James and a couple of other siblings. James goes into listing all the children and their accomplishments as well as how the house gets chaotic like it used to be when they were kids during the holidays. In the epilogue, James and his mother attend a wedding that was his co-workers. James learns that his mother still sees Judaism as a big part of her heritage.