The color of water by James McBride

Touches readers of all colors as a vivid portrait of growing up, a haunting meditation on race and identity, and a lyrical valentine to a mother from her son. Ruth McBride Jordan:A self-declared "light-skinned" woman evasive about her ethnicity, yet steadfast in her love for her 12 black children. James McBride, journalist & son, explores his mother's past, as well as his own upbringing & heritage, in a poignant and powerful debut The Color Of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother.