He proves it again in his first novel, miracle at st. James was born and raised in new york city with his eleven siblings, spending his early years in red hook, brooklyn and queens. James mcbride born september 11, 1957 is an american writer and musician. James mcbride biography list of works, study guides. James mcbride s most popular book is the color of water. The color of water by james mcbride book cover, description, publication history.
The color of water is about the love that a mother has for her children. In the color of water author james mcbride writes both his autobiography and a tribute to the life of his mother, ruth mcbride. The author and one of the narrators of the color of water. The color of water kindle edition by mcbride, james. James mcbride s works, from his bestselling memoir, the color of water, about growing up mixedrace, to his national book awardwinning novel, the good lord bird, explore the lives of.
The first time i read t he color of water, i was deep in the woods of otter creek, a lovely wilderness in west virginia. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. The color of water by james mcbride fantastic fiction. The modern classic that calls one of the best memoirs of a generation and that launched james mcbride s literary career. From james mcbride, author of the national book awardwinning the good lord bird, comes a wise and witty novel about what happens to the witnesses of a shooting. Author bio birth1957 wherenew york, new york educationoberlin conservatory of music. James is a writer, as well as musician, and values his family, god, and music above all else. James mcbride has 16 books on goodreads with 295904 ratings. An eloquent narrative in which a young black man searches for his rootsagainst the wishes of his mother. James recounts the events of his life and inserts anecdotes and experiences that express his sense of being. The daughter of a failed itinerant orthodox rabbi, she was born rachel shilsky actually ruchel dwara zylska in poland on april 1, 1921.
It tells the story of james mcbride and his white, jewish mother ruth. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read the color of water. As an adult, mcbride finally persuaded his mother to tell her story the story of a rabbis daughter, born in poland and raised in the south, who fled to harlem, married a black man, founded a baptist church, and. Mcbride, a professional saxophonist and former staff writer for the boston globe and the washington post, grew up with 11 siblings in an allblack brooklyn, new york, housing project. The first edition of the novel was published in january 23rd 1996, and was written by james mcbride. Author interview james mcbride, author of miracle at st. From the new york times bestselling author of deacon king kong and the good lord bird, winner of the national book award for fiction. The color of water a black mans tribute to his white mother. Anisfieldwolf book award, 1997 currentlybucks county, pennsylvania, usa james mcbride s bestselling memoir, the color of water.
James mcbride audio books, best sellers, author bio. James mcbride was born in 1957, the eighth of twelve children. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading the color of water. A bit of a renaissance man hes a skilled musician who has written for the likes of soul diva anita baker mcbride crossed over into the.
The color of water by james mcbride is a beautifully written and memorable tribute by a black man to his white jewish mother. He studied composition at the oberlin conservatory of music in ohio and received his masters in journalism from columbia university in new york at age 22. A recipient of the national humanities medal in 2016. James mcbride burst onto the scene with the color of water, a memoir exploring the author s struggle to understand his biracial identity. From the first page i was fascinated by the story of james mcbride and his mother, ruth jordan mcbride. I learned several things about what life was like in the mid1900s and in which may be why we still face issues with racial differences. James mcbride, a writer and musician, is a former staff writer for the boston globe, people. Like other gifted writers of his generation, james mcbride has the enviable capacity to enlarge and complicate his readers understanding of what it means to be human. A recipient of the national humanities medal in 2016, mcbride is a distinguished writer in. Interspersed throughout his mothers compelling narrative, mcbride shares candid recollections of his own experiences as a mixedrace child of poverty, his flirtations with drugs and violence, and his eventual self realization and professional success.
A former reporter for the washington post and people magazine, mcbride holds a masters degree in journalism from columbia university and a b. In his critically acclaimed, bestselling memoir the color of water 1997, he tells the story of a childhood spent with his jewish mother. In september 1969, a fumbling, cranky old church deacon known as sportcoat shuffles into the courtyard of the cause houses housing project in south brooklyn, pulls a. In the color of water, mcbride retraces his mothers footsteps and, through her searing and spirited voice, recreates her remarkable story. The main characters of this non fiction, autobiography story are. James mcbride has combined the techniques of the memoirist and the oral historian to illuminate a hidden corner of race relations. The color of water won the 1997 anisfieldwolf book award for. A recipient of the national humanities medal in 2016, mcbride is a distinguished writer in residence at. The book was published in multiple languages including english, consists of 291 pages and is available in paperback format. James mcbride evokes his childhood trek across the great racial divide with. A black mans tribute to his white mother, explores the author s struggle to understand his biracial identity and the experience of his white, jewish mother, who moved to harlem, married a black man, and raised 12 children. Ruth, born rachel shilsky, is the daughter of a failed orthodox. If i had known so many people were going to read that book. Susan brownmiller a lyrical, deeply moving tribute.
Books by james mcbride author of the color of water. The color of water is an autobiography by james mcbride that alternates between telling his life story and the life story of his mother, ruth. He is the recipient of the 20 national book award for fiction for his novel the good lord bird. Mcbride was raised in brooklyns red hook housing projects, and received a degree in music composition from the oberlin conservatory of music, in ohio.
James mcbride is a native new yorker and a graduate of new york city public schools. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of the color of water. In my hammock strung between two trees, with the musical creek flowing just below our campsite, i began to read. To ask other readers questions about the color of water, please sign up. A black mans tribute to his white mother by james mcbride and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. At age 65, she herself received a degree in social work from temple university. Essay on the color of water by james mcbride 726 words. He is also the author of kill em and leave, a james brown biography. James mcbride books list of books by author james mcbride. Mcbride amply demonstrated this ability in his first book, the lyrical, transcendent memoir the color of water. Content includes books from bestselling, midlist and debut authors.
A black mans tribute to his white mother by james mcbride is a memoir of the author, remembering his. The author of the color of water, james mcbride, uses two very distinct styles in order to convey the different points of view and backgrounds of he and his mother in his memoirautobiography. And when james asked what colour god was, she said god is the colour of water. A site dedicated to book lovers providing a forum to discover and share commentary about the books and authors they enjoy. I was so touched by the story of ruth mcbride jordan and her 12 black children.
James mcbride is the author of the awardwinning new york times bestseller, the color of water. Color of water author, james mcbride, reflects on race. James mcbride character analysis in the color of water. A selfdeclared lightskinned woman evasive about her ethnicity, yet steadfast in her love for her twelve black children. James mcbride is an awardwinning writer and composer. James is ruth mcbride jordan s eighth child, son of andrew dennis mcbride sr. The author of the color of water and the good lord bird says his favorite novelist is toni morrison. The color of water literature essays are academic essays for citation.
A recipient of the national humanities medal in 2016, mcbride is a distinguished writer in residence. His critically acclaimed memoir, the color of water. James mcbride, ruth mcbride jordan, andrew dennis mcbride, hunter jordan, hudis shilsky, fishel shilsky, deedee, sam, frances, bubeh, aunt mary, aunt laura, aunt betsy, peter, helen mcbride, jack, big richard, chicken man. A list of all the characters in the color of water. What is the authors style in the color of water by james. In the color of water, author james mcbride writes both his autobiography and a tribute to the life of his mother, ruth mcbride.