The Color of Water

The Color of Water
AuthorJames McBride
Cover artistHoni Werner
LanguageEnglish
GenreMemoir
PublisherPenguin Group
Publication date
1996
Publication placeUnited States
Pages301
ISBN978-1-59448-192-5

The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother, is the autobiography and memoir of James McBride first published in 1995; it is also a tribute to his mother, whom he calls Mommy, or Ma. The chapters alternate between James McBride's descriptions of his early life and first-person accounts of his mother Ruth's life, mostly taking place before McBride was born.