TOW #20: "The Color of Water" (Part 1)

          Some might describe the color of water as clear, colorless, or something not worth acknowledging. James McBride, author of The Color of Water wrote an autobiography paired with a journal entries from his mother's life. Growing up with a white mother, mixed stepfather that his mom married after his black biological father died, and 15 mixed siblings and half siblings, the issue of race would seem like a big deal to him. But, it wasn't. He would see his black friends' mothers look at him oddly for holding a white woman's hand, but McBride's mother took it all in stride. She had a family that she loved and was proud of, and that's all that mattered. Whenever James would ask his mother about the color of her skin, she would just claim that she was "light-skinned" and change the subject. Yet, as James got older, he realized the enormity of what his mother sacrificed for her family, and he wrote this as a tribute to his mother.
          McBride used historical references to provide context before he would tell a story from his perspective. On page 25, the author mentions how in 1966 at the age of nine, black power had permeated into every aspect of their lives, how Malcolm X had been killed the year before, that afros were now in style, and mentioned the Black Panthers. It gives the readers the chance to "catch up." I personally have never lived in that time period, yet I do know the history, and it helped me to connect more to what I was reading. Another tool that McBride uses to connect to his audience would be similes. He states that his mother's "contradictions crashed and slammed against one another like bumper cars at Coney Island" (McBride 29). This also creates the sense of imagery that helps a reader understand what is happening and is more interesting to read. I think his purpose, other than sharing his story, is to display the message to younger readers that your race was actually an issue and people judged you for it. Using these tools, he is then able to connect to a whole other demographic in his audience, and can therefore teach many young people this valuable lesson.