The Color of Water: a Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother

Check out James McBride's biography of his mother, a white Jewish woman from Maryland who ran away from an abusive family to start an all black church in her own living room in Harlem. Because she didn't talk much of her own beginning, after her death, Mcbride goes in search of her truth and what made her the wonderful mother she was to twelve children. Teaching her children to be strong and educated, her legacy is remarkable. I am remined of a saying, be remembered not by what you have, but what you gave away. This is the next book for the Booklover's Book Discussion group at the Tipp City Library. Copies are available at the front desk if you want to participate in this discussion on April 25th at 7 p.m.. "James McBride is an award-winning writer and composer. His critically acclaimed memoir, The Color of Water, won the 1997 Anisfield-Wolf Book Award for Literary Excellence, was an ALA Notable Book of the Year, and spent more than two years on The New York Times bestseller list. Chosen by the New York Public Library as one of the 25 books of 1996 to remember, The Color of Water has sold more than 1.3 million copies in the United States alone and is now required reading at numerous colleges and high schools across the country. It has also been published in 16 languages and more than 20 countries. McBride's new book, Miracle at St. Anna, was one of 2002's most anticipated releases and marks the author's debut as a novelist." http://www.rockbottomremainders.com/pages/bios/james.html

James McBride is a talented man, as composer and musician and writer, he shares his talents with the world. I was also interested to find that he studied composition at The Oberlin Conservatory of Music in Ohio and then received his Master's degree in Journalism at Columbia in New York at the age of 22.