The novel is called the The Color Of Water by James McBride. The book is an autobiography of a boy named James McBride and  a kind of biography of his mother Ruth McBride talk about their harsh life. The story is being narrated by James McBride and Ruth McBride, but the main narrator is James. The story take place in The United States, in Suffolk/Virginia, Harlem/New York, and Louisville/Kentucky. In the story they and their family face racism, school, work, religious and family/love problem.

     Ruth McBride, the mother of James and eleven other children.  A Jewish immigrant from Poland, who had a hard life and likes God, work and education. She fill in love with Andrew Dennis McBride and moves to New York. Where she started her own church with her husband. She constantly stressed the value of education and religion to her kids. She was a strong and reluctant person, that at the end every went the right way.

     James McBride, the son of Ruth. A Jewish African American who love jazz, religion and love to write music and literature. Who at fisrt felt sorry and embarrass that his mother was white, but later when he began to mature he accept the fact that she was white. After his stepfather death he began take more responsibility to his family.

     In this scene Ruth is pregnant with Peter child. And nobody know but her and Peter. Later her mother soon found out. Her mother found out that Ruth was pregnant when she found a bracelet that the boy had gave her daughter and the showed it to Ruth. The mother sends her to New York to stay with her aunts. Then her Aunt Betsy found out made arrange for an abortion. Ruth later came home found that her boy, the farther only wanted to marry her because his family told him to. The conflict was  Ruth pregnant with Petter child.

     In this scene James's stepfather just died, and this cause James to do poorly in school, to steal, and to use drug. When Ruth notice that James was not doing good in school, so she decide to sent James to his sister Jack and her husband Big Richard in Louisville, Kentucky  just for the summer. It turn he spend three summers there, James begins to hangout with Big Richard and his friends at a corner. At this corner James learn street skill from Chicken Man. James talk to Chicken Man about having a gun after he got fired from his job, this lead Chicken Man into given James an new perception of life. He told his to get serious and work harder. Shortly after Chicken Man was kill by woman. The conflict was James's stepfather death.

     In this scene Ruth return to Suffolk to finish high school.
When Ruth was getting ready for graduation, her father forbid her to attend the graduation because of the place it was held. The part of the graduation was held in an Protestant church. Ruth decided that she wanted to be apart of graduation and defied her father and  attend graduation. But when she got to the Protestant church, she made up her mine and decide not got along with, and instead bus to New York City the very next day. The conflict was Ruth and her father, Tateh decision about her going to graduation .

     At the end of the book James's and his brothers/sisters all go to college and Ruth return home to Suffolk to visit her friends and family. I think the authors theme was endurance. The Ruth and James family all had motivation and reliance in them self at the end. Just like Ruth telling her children about education, every on completed college. This tells people that if you are having difficulties in your life, just stick it out and you will find out that it was all worth it.

     I like this book because this book show the hardship of boy and his mother life, also because the book is true story. This book show me the important of family and friends, throughout the story they help Ruth and James during when they are most needed.