First Impression/ Thoughts so Far for the book The Color of Water by James McBride

When I first started reading this book, my initial reaction was that it would just be another boring memoir. However, now I know that is not the case. The book, The Color of Water by James McBride is a memoir about a black man's experience living with a white mother during the time of racial segregation, and it's full of interesting and important stories. I am currently on chapter 17 of this book, and I am already greatly impacted by this memoir.

One way that I am impacted is through the white mother's point of view. She often talks about her life at home as a child, and how her father is just a plain mean man who can be abusive. I've heard of child abuse and not getting along with parents before, but I never really thought deeply about how sad it is and how the child is really affected by it, from childhood to the rest of their life. By reading the mother's account of her being treated like this, it has struck me how bad this issue is. For example, page 62 talks about her father and how he treats her and her siblings. It says, "Sometimes the scolding made you feel worse than the hitting. 'You're stupid. You're nothing but a fool. A sinner. You're unredeemed before God,' he'd say." I can't imagine hearing someone tell me this, and also rather have physical abuse from someone versus verbal and emotional abuse (in this situation). My self esteem and confidence level would be in the negatives, and it is awful for a child to grow up feeling that. There is no love, and love is what one needs. See, before reading about this woman's experience with abuse as a child, I would never had thought this deeply about it. Now that I have read about it, it has impacted me and my thinking as well as emotions towards the subject.

Another way that I am impacted is through the black son's point of view in this memoir. I am obviously impacted in the way that I now know more about the awful secrets of not being white during the time of racial segregation. I've only heard about what it was like from sources like textbooks, not by actually hearing it from someone who lived during that time period who was an African American. Since I heard it from a black man's point of view who lived then, I am even more appalled by what they had to go through. However, I am also impacted from this man's writings in the memoir about his step-dad's death. I have never had someone in my immediate family (mom, dad, siblings) pass away, so I wouldn't know the pain and ways to deal with it. Reading about how James (the black man who wrote about it) felt and dealt with the situation gives me so much sympathy and sadness towards people who have lost an immediate family member they were very close to. I can't imagine what I would do, but reading about what James did impacts me greatly because I am seeing, in great detail, how this situation affects someone. Page 138-139 says, "...I spent as much time away from home as possible. I quit church... I was the first kid on my block to smoke cigarettes and reefer. I joined a soul band... We played Kool and Gang songs for hours, smoking weed, drinking Old English 800 malt liquor..." This quote really helps me understand how easy it is to go from having a nice life to an awful life. It saddens me when I hear more about how James twisted his life in a bad way because of his step-dad's death. I have only heard about depression and emotional pain from a death, not as much of what James did to deal with the situation. Both are super bad, but since my eyes were opened up to other ways people deal with struggles, I am greatly impacted in knowing this.

As you can see, this memoir is full of importance. I recommend reading  it. I haven't even finished it yet, and I am already impacted by it, as shown above.

"If I Stay" Possible Theme Statement (up to page 150)

As you may know, I am currently reading the book If I Stay by Gayle Forman. Right now I am at page 150, and am already starting to see some possible theme statements coming up. The most supported possible theme  statement (so far in this book) is: tragedy may make one's relationship with those around them closer and stronger. This theme statement is supported by a couple of examples from the text.

First, the relationship between Adam (Mia's boyfriend) and Kim (Mia's best friend) has gotten so much closer because of the tragedy that Mia and her whole family has been in a car accident, causing Mia to be in a coma, her brother in critical condition, and her parents dead. Page 116 says, "The funny thing was, I never really bought into Kim's notion that they were somehow bound together through me-- until just now when I saw her half carrying him down the hospital corridor." This line is what Mia is narrating while she is in a coma. What I take from this quote is that Adam and Kim were always mutual-- they only associated with each other because Mia was there, a connection between the two of them. Now that Mia is in a coma from a life- threatening accident, the two people Mia is closest to (other than family) need each other (because of Mia), as Mia states, "...half carrying him down the hospital corridor." So, Mia is still their connection, but their relationship has still gotten closer. Later in the book, Adam and Kim's relationship continues to become stronger because of this accident. For example, they both work together to find a way to get into the ICU to see Mia. Just things like this make their relationship stronger, and it's all because of a tragedy.

Also, Willow (who is a family friend of Mia's family) and Adam's  relationship becomes closer because of what happened to Mia. Page 150 states, "Adam swivels around and hugs Willow with such force that her feet lift up off the ground. Willow to the rescue." Two people who don't know each other too well-- Adam and Willow-- are bound together by this tragedy that has happened. They try to help each other out. This also supports the theme statement that tragedy may make one's relationship with those around them closer and stronger, because Adam and Willow immediately embrace because of this accident.

The theme statement, tragedy may make one's relationship with those around them closer and stronger, is very well supported by the text. There may be more theme statements that come up throughout the rest of the book.