The Color of Water Lesson Plan

The Color of Water is James McBride's memoir and biography of his mother, Ruth McBride-Jordan. Born Rachel Deborah Shilsky in Poland in 1921, Ruth left her orthodox Jewish family and abusive father to move to New York and seek her own life. When she married Andrew Dennis McBride, a Black man and a Christian, her family completely disowned her. Ruth had eight children, including James, with Dennis, and the couple started a church together. After he died prematurely, Ruth remarried and gave birth to four more children, and she and all twelve children lived in a housing project in Brooklyn. Through faith, love, determination, and an emphasis on education and religion, Ruth saw each of her...