The Color Of Water
And I thought I had a rough life!! James McBride's The Color Of Water is the story of an African American boy growingup in 50's, when racism was hot, with his white jewish mother and his eleven brothers and sisters. Every other chapter his mother tells about her past, and then he tells about his past. When reading The Color Of Water , I felt like I was in his environment. His writing style is very enthusiastic and clever.
When reading his book, I felt like I could relate to what he
was saying. On page 9 when he said " As a boy, I always thought
my mother was srange. She never cared to socialize with our
neighbors. Her past was a mystery she refused to disuss.", I
thought to myself " that reminds me of my mom". James McBride
makes you feel like you can relate to him. Like you were once in
his position.
Growing up as a child, he always wondered who his mother was
and where she came from. When he asked her if she was white she would say " I'm light skinned," and she'd change the subject.I
think he wanted to know because "if you don't know where you came from,you'll never know where you're going". I was always taught that by my own mother. I can also relate to James McBride's curiosity. I would like to know about my mother's past
as well.
Like my life, James McBride has had a lot of life experiences
that he will never forget. Like when he use to be on the corner with "Chicken Man" all day smoking and getting high. I personally
didn't understand why they called him "Chicken Man" anyway. McBride had to deal with many obstacles in his life. He was teased all through his childhood because was black and his mother was white. (POOR THING!)
Curious about his mother's past, he got himself up and went to where his mother had spent a good portion of her life. He did a lot of searching, and that showed a lot about his character.
James McBride suceeded all because of his mother. She guided him through his rough stages of life, and because of that he has found success. I think this memior is important becuase it shows
that just because you come from a poor neighborhood, that doesn't
mean that you can't achieve any goals in your life. I personally feel one most go through the bad to get to the good. And in this memior, McBride shows that by the way he writes.
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