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Date:

The Color of Water: Pre-Reading Jigsaw Activity

Information about James McBride, the Author:

James McBride is an award winning writer and musician. Following the success of his memoir
about his own life and the life of his mother, Ruth Jordan McBride, James published a second book
entitled, Miracle at St. Anna. Additionally, McBride has a distinguished career as a journalist and was
employed by a number of publications including The Boston Globe, People Magazine, Rolling Stone and
The Washington Post. He has composed songs for Anita Baker, Grover Washington Jr., Gary Burton,
Everett Harp, Rachelle Farell, and Purafe. McBride also composes pieces for musicals and television. He
created the award winning musical, Bobos, which was performed at the American Theater Festival in
Philadelphia in 1993. In addition to writing and composing, James McBride has toured with musicians,
including Michael Jackson.
As mentioned in The Color of Water, James was a student at The Oberlin Conservatory of Music
and Columbia University. He received a masters degree in journalism from Columbia at the age of
twenty-two. He holds an Honorary Doctorate of Human Letters from Whitman College and The College
of New Jersey.
Why is it important to know these details about the authors life before reading his memoir?

Setting and Time Period:

The portion of the memoir that depicts Ruths early life is set in Suffolk, Virginia (1920s-41). In
her early adulthood, Ruth moves to New York and stays there until she is middle-aged. Then, she moves
to Wilmington, Delaware. At the conclusion of her portion of the memoir, Ruth lives with one of her
children in a medium-sized town in New Jersey.
The autobiographical section of this book follows the authors life growing up in New York City
from 1960 to 1990. It makes slight detours elsewhere, but primarily is based in Americas biggest city.
How might the experiences of Ruth and James (her son and the author) be similar or differ from
the experiences of the Youngers in Chicago in the late 1950s in A Raisin in the Sun?

Loving V. Virginia (1967)

After the Civil War between 1861 and 1865, many states instituted anti-miscegenation laws,
which outlawed interracial marriages. There were often harsh legal consequences for breaking these laws.
Because Ruth became pregnant with an African-American mans (Peter) child in Suffolk, Virginia in
1936, it was impossible for them to get married, unless they chose to run away together to a state without
such laws. In 1958, a black woman named Mildred Jeter and a white man named Richard Loving, both
residents of Virginia, traveled to Washington, D.C., to obtain their marriage license. The couple, upon
returning home, faced arrest in violation of the states Racial Integrity Act of 1924. The Lovings sued the
state, and ultimately were validated, when the US Supreme Court ruled interracial marriage laws
unconstitutional.
Why do you think this court case might be significant to know when reading The Color of Water?

The Civil Rights Movement (1960s-1970s):

A major event of the 1960s and 1970s, the Civil Rights Movement is what we now call the
organized attempts for black Americans to gain equal rights as white citizens. There were two main
philosophies that prevailed in this movement. One was led by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The other by
Malcolm X. Both perspectives advocated for Civil Rights, but they disagreed about the way to achieve it.
King and his supporters believed in nonviolence, while Malcolm X and his supporters believed in more
violent and aggressive tactics. The unstable racial environment of this time period would greatly influence
the identities and ideas of many Americans at this time, especially the black community. James McBride
was one of those significantly influenced by the events of this era.
Why might it be important to understand some historical information about the Civil Rights
Movement before reading this memoir?

Orthodox Judaism:
The most traditional, and thus conservative, Jewish people are known as Orthodox Jews. There
religious leader, the rabbi, is what Ruths father aspired to be. Not all Orthodox are the same, but they
believe in the most traditional interpretation of the Torah (the Jewish Holy Book). Many groups of
Orthodox Jews believe in segregating themselves from people of different faiths, and they are very strict
rules about the roles men/boys and women/girls can play in their communities and households. Orthodox
Jews dress conservatively, and many do not participate in Mainstream American customs. In the
American South in the 1930s, Ruths family would have faced great prejudice and discrimination because
of their beliefs from both the African-American and Christian surrounding communities.
Explain how you think Orthodox Judaism might play a part in James McBrides memoir.

Major Theme(s):
James McBrides search for identity and his struggle to understand himself is the major theme of
the memoir. McBride is biracial, has a white mother whose background is a carefully guarded mystery,
has eleven siblings, and grew up in the Red Hook housing projects of Brooklyn. As the author struggles
to find his place in a rapidly changing world, hes constantly frustrated by his mother who ignores
matters involving race and identity (6). As he learns more about his mothers past and looks back on his
own youth, McBride realizes just how incredible his mother was and how aware she was of the struggles
and challenges her children faced.
Issues of race, equality, opportunity, family, love, tradition and change, identity, and religion are
all touched on in this work. More than anything else, this is the story of a mother and her son trying to
find themselves in a sometimes unfair and hostile world. Its the story of learning to be true to ones self,
even if that means facing extraordinary challenges. Sometimes, the right thing to do isnt the popular
thing to do, and there are many times where the author and his mother stand alone in the face of injustice.
The protagonists in this memoir find the strength they need in one another as they overcome the
aforementioned challenges.
How might these themes play a role in shaping or achieving the American Dream for characters
in this book?

Comprehension and Analytical Questions:

1. What two novels is McBride known for writing?

2. What two academic institutions did McBride attend?

3. In what American city does the bulk of this novel take place?

4. In Loving Vs. Virginia, what did the Supreme Court ultimately decide?

5. How did the philosophies of Martin Luther King, Jr. And Malcolm X differ?

6. How were those philosophies similar?

7. What is an Orthodox Jew?

8. Was it difficult to be an Orthodox Jew in Suffolk, Virginia in the 1930s? Explain.

9. Explain the major theme of this memoir?

Question for Written Reflection

10. How might McBrides mother deal with the topic of race? How do you think this affects James?
Why?