Summary: The Color Of Water By James Mcbride

Words: 160
Pages: 1

The Color of Water by James McBride is a tribute to Ruth because the narrative focuses on her overcoming hardships in spite of grief. She tragically loses her second husband, and in the process of grieving she picks up a peculiar hobby; the author states: “She would ride [her bicycle] in slow motion across our street” (McBride 7). She manages to continue through the early years of McBride’s childhood through cycling, along with piano, in an effort to improve herself in spite of hardship. Ruth is so overwhelmed by work that McBride describes the house in this way: “Our house looked like a hurricane hit it“ (McBride 68), however, with little money, no time to keep order, and otherwise being overwhelmed by life, she manages to get all twelve of