The Color of Water
by James McBride
★ Top 25 book of 1996 · #19 on Best Books of 1996
James McBride recounts growing up among twelve siblings in Brooklyn's Red Hook, raised by a determined mother who hid her white heritage. Her own story of fleeing her rabbi father's home anchors this reflective memoir on race, identity and a mother's devotion.
Best for: Memoir lovers drawn to family stories, race, identity and a remarkable mother
The Color of Water is #19 on BookWard's Best Books of 1996, out of 38 1996 books that cleared our data bar.
What The Color of Water is about
James McBride grew up as one of twelve children in the housing projects of Red Hook, Brooklyn, raised by a white mother who never spoke about where she came from. This memoir tells two stories side by side, alternating between his own early life and Ruth's first-person account of hers.
Ruth was born Ruchel Zylska into an Orthodox Jewish family in Poland and came to America as a toddler. Her family settled in Suffolk, Virginia, and she left for New York, was cut off by her family, and went on to marry a black man, convert to Christianity, and help found a church. McBride only learned the truth as an adult, and the book is his warm, reflective attempt to understand her. It speaks to anyone curious about race, identity, religion, and the fierce love of a mother.
The Color of Water on the Best Books of 1996
The Color of Water came out in 1996. Of the 38 books first published in 1996 that met BookWard's data bar, it ranks #19 on our Best Books of 1996 list.
Why it made the list: 220 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 4.3 out of 5 (11 ratings). The list ranks each year’s books on how many readers have picked them up, how highly readers rate them, and how many are reading them right now.
Nearby on the 1996 list
- Vampire Breath Robert Lawrence Stine, #17
- Alias Grace Margaret Atwood, #18
- Frindle Andrew Clements, #20
- Exquisite Corpse Poppy Z. Brite, #21
See all Best Books of 1996 Best books by year
More years: Best Books of 1995 Best Books of 1997.
The numbers behind it
- Readers: 188 want to read it, 15 are reading it now and 17 have read it, according to Open Library.
- Ratings: 4.3 out of 5 from 11 Open Library ratings.
| Signal | This book (0 to 100) | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Reach | 34 | 55% |
| Reader love | 61 | 25% |
| Being read right now | 55 | 20% |
Questions about The Color of Water
When was The Color of Water published?
The Color of Water by James McBride was first published in 1996.
Was The Color of Water one of the best books of 1996?
The Color of Water is #19 on BookWard's Best Books of 1996, out of 38 1996 books that cleared our data bar. 220 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 4.3 out of 5 (11 ratings).
Why is The Color of Water on the Best Books of 1996 list?
220 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 4.3 out of 5 (11 ratings).
More of the best books of 1996
- A Game of Thrones George R. R. Martin, #1
- The Green Mile Stephen King, #2
- Forbidden Knowledge Roger Shattuck, #3
- Push Sapphire, #4
- Fight Club Chuck Palahniuk, #5
- Neverwhere Neil Gaiman, #6
See the full Best Books of 1996, the Top 100, or new books on Rising.
How we know
This page uses public data: Open Library reader counts and ratings, and Wikipedia page views for recent years. The description is paraphrased from real source text. Rankings reflect reading interest, not quality or sales, and can be affected by data gaps. Lists update monthly.
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