The Color of Water and Being Human - Book Report/Review Example

Growing up the way James did, with a Polish mother and an African-American father, was no different from the childhood of many others who come from a family where the father is one race and the mother is another. Granted, we are the product of our parents up to a certain extent, and should not ignore the heritage and the values they bring to our "self", but not to the point where we must know every nuance of our father's or mother's person in order to define ourselves. We are each our own world, and the contribution made to that world by our parents is basically one of example, whether it be as role models, representatives of a certain culture, likes and dislikes, values, whatever.

Ultimately, these are more important to and more influential on us than the question of race. James Mc Bride's parents were upstanding citizens who instilled values in their children, which contributed much more to who they became than their race. For example, James parents sustained that "[.] money without knowledge was worthless, that education tempered with religion was the way to climb out of poverty in America [.] (29). They were right, ultimately because money without knowledge, education or faith in God can lead to greed, corruption, and many other negative things, merely because the person in whose hands it is does not have the sense of responsibility that comes from having moral values.

"Being mixed is "Being mixed is like that tingling feeling you have in your nose just before you sneeze--you're waiting for it to happen but it never does" (262). This statement in McBride's book pretty much says it all. If you feel that you cannot realize who you are because of your race, that you are an "unfinished work", so to speak, you are placing way too much importance on race. Being human is about accomplishing something that will make the planet a better place and those around you happier and better people.

It is about respecting others and respecting the Earth and her capacity to nurture us, treating everyone and everything with the utmost care and regard. If you are doing this, nothing else really matters. You are leaving your mark in the world no matter who you are, where you were born, who your parents were, how rich or poor you were, or to what race you feel you belong. James McBride's book is thought-provoking and an important contribution to literature. The topic and the statements within it are an outpouring of a man's soul and intimacy as well as a lesson and an example.

The beauty of this book is that it has a message, a message that can perceived in many different ways depending on the reader. A human being is a part of the human race. What we have come to call race within our society is really a subclassification based on common colors of skin or certain traits that are shared by a community, a region or a group of people. But this does not define our essence, who we are. That is the message this book has conveyed to me. That is the single most important lesson I can walk away with after reading this book.

Works CitedMc Bride, James. The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother. Riverhead Trade. Reissue Edition. (February 1, 1997)