The Color Of Water

March 1,2000
James McBride is such a talented author. It must have been hard for the mother to relive her harsh life. Growing up with a strict and cruel father would definetly be extemely horrible. Ruth's multi-racial family, however loved her. Although James felt embarrased by his mothers akward ways, he loved her tremendously.

March 2,2000
Families are always filled with grief and tragedy...or atleast thats how it feels. The loss of James' father, quite typically, changed his out-look of living. Fun to him was now smoking reefer, drinking alcohol, and watching movies with his "friends". I think that the step father was completely courageous for taking in his wifes eight children and raising them as his own. "..enough for a baseball team..." he teased shortly before he died from the stroke.

March 3,2000
I simply can not believe that evil man malested his daughter!! What kind of sick man could do that to a person? He worked her like a dog and she still respected him completely. I belive that it was a combination of his dominance over the family and Mameh's polio that led him to do that to Ruth. I still can't believe it.

March 6,2000
I feel so extremely sorry for Ruth's childhood. It was basically a sin to show love and affection to your family. Growing up in such a cold hearted environment would make a person insane. Maybe that's Ruth's excuse for acting so strange. I can relate, somewhat, to James' feelings of embarrasment toward his white mother. Although I am a Black woman I was discriminated against for having light skin....(like I could control that). As a young girl i was often embarrased for being a light skinned Black girl. I think that Ruth's ablility to block out all of the bazzar stares, and snide remarks during her journey rides through Hollis, Queens. She's a trooper!!

March 7,2000
Finally James' bad deeds caught up to him. I feel that him being sent to Louisianna wasn't such a positive move for Ruth. James only got worse since he left his family in Queens. On a positive note, he met the person that inspired him to change his life forever. It just so happened that his inspiration was from a homeless man with enormous experience of lifes turn of events. In my opinion he was James' angel in disguise.

March 10,2000
Now life begins in Delaware!! A transition into manhood for James happened. His decision to persue furthur education is a remarkable feat (although i've never heard of Olburn University). James is extremely fortunate for his mothers love and willingness to deal with his past troublesome ways. After all Ruth went through with her father I wonder how she learned to love. After her move to New York from Virginia she fell in love with Andrew McBride and made the choice to stay with him. For that she was shunned from her family and considered dead. She wasn't even allowed to speak to her mother before the polio killed her. That was unbelievable to me, even though I know the evil of Ruth's father.