The Color of Water

'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.