James McBride did not have a “normal life.” He had a life full of chaos and change. Growing up in the 60’s as a mixed boy, with a white mother, and 11 siblings, there was never a dull moment. Even with a life like this, there were still certain events that stood out more, having a larger impact than others, making James who the man he is. In The Color of Water, a memoir, James McBride wrote about the difficulties he faced in life, and discovering his mother’s buried past.
When James started kindergarten, his mother would walk him to the bus stop every morning. He would watch her as the bus pulled away, standing with the other mom’s waving. One day James realized, his mom was not like the rest. As he said in the memoir, “I began to notice …show more content…
It was a rough time to live in, especially with racism being as big of an issue as it was. The Black Panther Party was becoming more common, and more of a threat. James and his mother went to visit someone one day, and they were bringing food home for his siblings. On the way home, they had an interference on the street. James described it saying, “Two black men came up behind us and one of them grabbed Mommy’s purse.” (p.33) She was jumped, right in front of James, but there was nothing he could do, just being a kid. His mom fought back for a bit, before having to give up. The food was all over the ground and they had stolen her purse. He said, “The incident confirmed my fears that Mommy was always in danger.” (p.34) It opened his eyes, and scared him beyond belief. Another incident occurred when he was going to camp. He had loaded the bus, and she was waiting for him to leave. There was a guy standing next to her dressed all snazzy, in a leather jacket with chains around his neck, and a fancy watch. When his son went to leave, they did some kind of cool handshake. When the boy got on the bus James complimented him, and asked where he learned it. The boy responded saying his daddy had taught him, he was a black panther. James saw his white mother standing next to this guy who was a black panther. He punched the kid. He was so angry and scared that, that boy’s father was going to kill his mom. He tried his best to yell and warn his mom, but it was too late at the point. These occurrences caused James to become more cautious and his worries about his mother’s safety to
When James started kindergarten, his mother would walk him to the bus stop every morning. He would watch her as the bus pulled away, standing with the other mom’s waving. One day James realized, his mom was not like the rest. As he said in the memoir, “I began to notice …show more content…
It was a rough time to live in, especially with racism being as big of an issue as it was. The Black Panther Party was becoming more common, and more of a threat. James and his mother went to visit someone one day, and they were bringing food home for his siblings. On the way home, they had an interference on the street. James described it saying, “Two black men came up behind us and one of them grabbed Mommy’s purse.” (p.33) She was jumped, right in front of James, but there was nothing he could do, just being a kid. His mom fought back for a bit, before having to give up. The food was all over the ground and they had stolen her purse. He said, “The incident confirmed my fears that Mommy was always in danger.” (p.34) It opened his eyes, and scared him beyond belief. Another incident occurred when he was going to camp. He had loaded the bus, and she was waiting for him to leave. There was a guy standing next to her dressed all snazzy, in a leather jacket with chains around his neck, and a fancy watch. When his son went to leave, they did some kind of cool handshake. When the boy got on the bus James complimented him, and asked where he learned it. The boy responded saying his daddy had taught him, he was a black panther. James saw his white mother standing next to this guy who was a black panther. He punched the kid. He was so angry and scared that, that boy’s father was going to kill his mom. He tried his best to yell and warn his mom, but it was too late at the point. These occurrences caused James to become more cautious and his worries about his mother’s safety to