![]() The author always thought of his stepfather as Daddy. When Mother married a Black man they mourned as if she were dead. She had to die in order for me, the rest of me, to live.” “My father’s name was Fishel Shilsky and he was an Orthodox rabbi” (2). Mother says her mother’s name was Rachel Shilsky and “is dead as far as I’m concerned. ![]() She begins the narrative with “I’m dead.”: “They want no parts of me and me I don’t want no parts of them.” “I was born an Orthodox Jew on April 1, 1921…in Poland” (1). Whenever the text is in italics it indicates that McBride’s mother is speaking. She educated all her children who didn’t even know her maiden name when they were grown. His mother will not reveal where she was from or if she were Black. There is a short intro where McBride says his mother was “the daughter of an Orthodox Jewish rabbi married a black man in 1942” (xvii). It is also heartwarming that an adult male child took such a great interest in the inner world of his mother. It is a fascinating story because you have such deep description of a real person: her history, her words, her actions, her beliefs. She loved Black people, married Black men, and was extremely proud of and educated her many Black children who all grew up to be working professionals. ![]() Just as the title indicates, this book focuses on McBride’s white Jewish mother who never identified with white people. The Color of Water: A Black Man’s Tribute to His White Mother ![]()
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