The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother is an autobiography of James McBride focusing on his mother Ruth. Growing up in a family of twelve children, James did not know about his mother's past until he decided to look into it himself. He learns of her harsh upbringing and sexual abuse by her father, her relationships with various black men, relationships that were completely taboo at the time. The book deals with themes of racism, black power and the hidden past.
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