The Color of Water, by James Mc Bride, is a book that shows people how hard life was around the 1930's. In this book you will read about James Mc Bride himself and his extraordinary mother. The narrator of this story goes back and forth from James to his mother Rachel. Part of this story takes place in Suffolk, Virginia and part takes place in Brooklyn, New York.
Ruchel Dwajra Zylska is James Mc Bride's mother. She changed her name a few times, but she is known as Ruth. She was born an Orthodox Jew on April 1, 1921, in Poland. As you read parts of the Color of Water you could hear Ruth telling her son James her extraordinary life story. She tells him about her childhood and her entire life struggle. At a point in the book Ruth mentions that she had a low self esteem. She also mentions that her father used to molest her every chance he got. In the middle of the story Ruth gets her thoughts together and finally leaves Suffolk, Virginia. She doesn't go back until one day she calls home and her father tells her that her mother is very ill. In 1941 Ruth left to New York City to live with her grandmother and work in her Aunt Mary's Factory. There she met Dennis who had just arrived from North Carolina and was hired by her aunt. Dennis was an excellent leather maker. He played violin and read and wrote music. Ruth married Dennis and had eight kids with him. Ruth was a strong woman. Every place she turned things were rough, but still she managed to help all of her children succeed.
Fishel Shilsky is known as Ruth's father. His occupation is an Orthodox rabbi. He was a short, dark, hairy, and gruff man. He was also very strict. He escaped the Russian Army and snuck over the Polish border. He then married Ruth's mother in an arranged marriage. By the end of the story you only see him getting greedier and greedier, especially when he divorces his ill wife who has Polio, for some other woman. I don't like Fishel at all. I found that he was not only greedy, but also cold hearted. Any man that has the heart to molest his own daughter or molest any child for that fact is a coward and doesn't deserve the chance at life.
Hudis is known as Ruth's mother. Due to her disease, Polio, her whole left side is paralyzed. She walks with a bad limp dragging her left foot behind her. She is also nearly blind in her left eye and her left hand is bent in at her wrist. She was born in 1896 in Dobryzn, Poland. She had dark hair and high cheek bones. She was the total opposite of her husband. When she suspected that Ruth was pregnant she didn't even say anything, she just sent Ruth to New York. Hudis was a nice understanding woman. She deserved a better life.
In 1942 Dennis and Ruth got married and Ruth accepted Jesus Christ in to her life. Dennis and Ruth had a prefect life they went every Sunday to church. Ruth and Dennis had their first baby in 1943. Ruth and Dennis had a church service named after Rev. Brown, which grew faster every year. Their church survived. It went real well until early 1957, when one day Dennis got home with a bad cold and was in bed for weeks. He was in the hospital and became seriously ill very quickly. Then one morning Ruth received a phone called from the hospital saying that Dennis has just passed away. She couldn't believe it because she didn't expect to hear that her husband had died of cancer. That was the first time they told her he ever had cancer. After Dennis died Ruth was depressed and went back to her Jewish family for help but everyone ignored her. They slammed their doors in her face and wanted no part of her life. After that Ruth married a man named Mr. Jordan. She then had four more kids with him. Mr. Jordan worked as a furnace fireman for the New York City Housing Authority. He fixed and maintained the huge boilers that heated the Red Hook Housing projects were they lived. Ruth was a very happy woman, but was going trough many struggles. James really didn't know who his biological father was, but he believed that Mr. Jordan was his father.
Mr. Jordan also passed away and left Ruth all alone with her 12 kids. After Hunter Jordan passed away from a stroke, Ruth and her 12 kids went through many struggles. James was having problems concentrating in school and dropped out.
After many years Ruth finally decided to tell James and the rest of her children the truth. It took a while before James convinced Ruth to tell them. After Ruth told her James, he went back to Virginia to see what was left of his family. James didn't find anything right away until he found a McDonalds and the description that Ruth had told him. His mother's old house was in Back of the McDonalds. Eddies Thompson lived there, he was and old neighbor from the Shilky Family. James was surprised of what his grandfather became to be. James also searched for his mother's childhood friend, Frances. After they found each other, they were reunited. At the end of the story Ruth and her 12 kids became very creative and talented. Today Ruth is a successful woman who graduated of Temple University in Philadelphia. She received her degree in social work administration at age 65. She worked in a volunteer Philadelphia Emergency center.