The Color Of Water
The Color of Water by James McBride. As a young boy James always questioned his mother where was she born, what is her maiden name and how come she is so different from him. How come your light skinned? She would try to find some excuse to change the subject on her backgroung. As James got older he started to understand more about his mother and her life. She was born on, April 1St.1921. She was born as an Orthodox Jew. Her parents name her Ruchel Dwajra Zylska. Later on in life she changed it to Rachel Deborah Shilsky. James father was Andrew McBride, James didn't know his father because he died before James was born. His mother had eight children for Andrew. All of them who she raised by herself. She got married again and had four more children with her new husband, in total she had twelve children.
James mother was different because she would never socialize with the people. She had no friends. James noticed that his mom look different from the other children mothers.His teacher was white, and his mother was lighted skinned. He would wonder sometimes why his mother looked like the teacher. The one good thing that his mother told him often was about his eduation.
Rachel James mother had a hard childhood. Rachel had low self- esteem as a child,because of her father. She was always scared of him father because of the things he did to her when she was a little girl. Nights when she was in bed he would come an do things to her making feel dirty and unclean.
At church one day James asked his mother if god was black or white, his mother replied that god is not black nor white. He's a spirit and that god is the color of spirit. Then James wanted to know what color is god's spirit, his mom said "God is the color of water. Water doesnt have color".
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