Summary of The Color of Water

The Color of Water is the memoir of James McBride, an African American writer, journalist, and musician who grew up in a family that was half-black and half-Jewish. The story follows James as he discovers his own identity, while learning about the lives of his mother and his eleven siblings. Through James’s narrative, readers learn about the difficulties of being a mixed-race person living in the 1950s and 1960s and the difficult decisions Ruth McBride, the matriarch of the family, faced as a single mother. Along with the struggles of life for a poor, multiracial family in a prejudiced culture, the book also touches on the religious and cultural traditions within both black and Jewish communities. Ultimately, The Color of Water celebrates family, faith, and identity, and offers an inspiring meditation on what it is like to grow up different in America.