The Color of Water: A Black Man’s Tribute to His White Mother

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‘A triumph’ - New York Times Book Review

‘A startling, tender-hearted tribute to a woman for whom the expression tough love might have been invented’ - The Times

‘As lively as a novel, a well-written, thoughtful contribution to the literature on race’ - Washington Post _______________

MORE THAN TWO YEARS ON THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER LIST _______________

From the New York Times bestselling author of Deacon King Kong and The Good Lord Bird, winner of the National Book Award for Fiction, came this modern classic that Oprah.com calls one of the best memoirs of a generation and that launched James McBride’s literary career.

As a boy in Brooklyn’s Red Hook projects, James McBride knew his mother was different. But when he asked her about it, she’d simply say ‘I’m light-skinned.’ Later he wondered if he was different too, and asked his mother if he was black or white. ‘You’re a human being! Educate yourself or you’ll be a nobody!’ she snapped back. And when James asked about God, she told him ‘God is the color of water.’

This is the remarkable story of an eccentric and determined woman: a rabbi’s daughter, born in Poland and raised in the Deep South who fled to Harlem, married a black preacher, founded a Baptist church and put twelve children through college. A celebration of resilience, faith and forgiveness, The Color of Water is an eloquent exploration of what family really means. _______________

‘Inspiring’ - Glamour ‘Vibrant’ - Boston Globe ‘A wonderfully evocative, moving book’ - Literary Review