Why people recommend it
The Color of Water by James McBride is a celebrated memoir about growing up in Red Hook as one of twelve children born to a Black father and a white mother who grew up Jewish, converted, and started a church. On The Book Review podcast, Jumana Katib praised the wild and fascinating story, later noting that she had eventually read the book after previously discussing the author's other works, recognizing it as McBride's true breakout publication. John Williams also mentioned the memoir on The Book Review during a profile discussion, observing that the widely known book came out roughly twenty years ago. The speakers underscored the enduring appeal and historical significance of McBride's biographical account of his mother's unconventional life and his own upbringing, emphasizing why the memoir remains a compelling point of reference in discussions about contemporary American literature and the author's distinguished body of work.
Who recommended it
- Jumana Katib Discussed
- John Williams Discussed
Jumana Katib — 2 mentions
“I love his Memoir called the color of water which is about growing up in Red Hook as one of 12 born to a black father a white mother who grew up Jewish and converted and literally started a church with her first husband a wild story”
“and then I realized that I had never read the book that I think was really McBride's breakout which is his Memoir called the color of water”
John Williams — 1 mention
“he's known of course his Memoir the color of water and that came up about 20 years ago”
Also mentioned in the same episodes
Other mentions (2: passing, ad reads, own books)
“and you jimana have talked about James McBride on this very podcast when you talked about reading his Memoir the color of water”
“you just read the color of water”