The Color of Water
Reviewed by: Vincent Mendoza
I’ve never been to the New York or the South or experience what it was to like to live in the 1930’s-1990’s, the author of The Color of Water makes you feel as you are right there in the south or New York. The Color of Water is about an African-American man and his white mother. The mother's side of the story is how she lived her life through the 1930’s-60. The African-American man a.k.a the author's side of the story is how he lived his life through as an African-American in the 1970's-90's.The plot of this story is how James’ mother lived with 13 half black kids in a society where most white people lived in fear of black people, and her having kids that look black changed how she lived and how people saw her and treated her. Also how she lived her life when she went to school then right after she got home she would go straight to work then go to sleep then do it again the next day.
The theme is don’t always judge the book by its cover and that is what they did to Rachel/Ruth when she would be with her kids. Because her kids look black and she is white, people would stare and they would talk about her. The other theme is live life to the fullest; because you never know if you’ll ever see the person you love or care again. Because Rachel’s first husband left her, and she lost her brother in World War II she went through some difficult times in her life.
The way this novel is written is like a double narrates type of story, where two people are telling the story of their lives. At first the author narrative a chapter and then the mom would narrate a chapter. Then so on.
The Characters in this book are James McBride his mom Ruth McBride Jordan, the brother and sisters and there is one of the main sister Jacqueline or Jack for short, Denis the oldest, Ruth’s parents. These characters are really important to the book. Like James and Ruth McBride are the main characters in this book. Ruth’s parents changed how she grew and how her dad and doctor molested her change the way she sees them and how she fears and hates them. Jack was like another mom to the other kids, and if you had to go run away to somewhere you could run there and stay there for a while. Denis was the oldest who everybody looked up to. He was like the cool kid that everybody wants to be. Denis was like the goal everybody set for and each and every one of Ruth’s kids got to that goal, it like started with Denis and the others just followed him in a way.
In conclusion I give this book 8 out of 10. Because this book isn’t the best book in the world what is, any who, it is a drama, comedy romance, but people under 13 shouldn’t be advised to read it because, it has mature situations in the book and what happens in the book during the times of the author and the mother. There are also language situations in the book as well, with words that people used to reference to African-Americans, without giving it a thought about what they are say to them, but overall the book is fantastic!!
