Comprehensive Study Notes on The Color of Water
Biography and Legacy of Ruth McBride Jordan
Birth and Early Origins:
Ruth McBride Jordan was born Ruchel Dwajra Zylska on April 1, 1921 (April Fool's Day) in Poland.
Upon immigrating to the United States on August 23, 1923, aboard the steamer Austergeist, her name was legally changed to Rachel Deborah Shilsky.
She discarded the name Rachel Shilsky in 1941 when she permanently left Virginia for New York, officially adopting the name Ruth.
Parents and Heritage:
Father: Fishel Shilsky (known as "Tateh," Yiddish for father). He was an Orthodox Jewish rabbi who escaped the Russian army by sneaking over the Polish border. He entered an arranged marriage with Hudis for her family's financial backing to reach America. Tateh was gruff, dark, hairy, short, highly focused on money, and emotionally/physically abusive.
Mother: Hudis Shilsky (known as "Mameh"). Born in 1896 in Dobryzn, Poland, she suffered from polio, which left her left side paralyzed, her left hand bent and useless at her chest, her left eye nearly blind, and caused a severe limp. She was gentle, meek, and spoke no English.
Grandparents: Zaydeh and Bubeh. Zaydeh was a jolly, bearded Orthodox Jew who lived on 115th Street and St. Nicholas Avenue in Manhattan and drank hot tea from a glass. Upon his death, his family sat shiva, covered all mirrors, and sat on boxes for seven days. Bubeh was a clean, loving grandmother who suffered from diabetes and later lived at 1020 President Street in Brooklyn.
Marriages:
First Marriage: Andrew Dennis McBride (known as Dennis). An African-American musician and leather craftsman from High Point, North Carolina. Married in 1942 in a private ceremony officiated by Rev. W. Abner Brown at Metropolitan Baptist Church in Harlem. Together, they co-founded the New Brown Memorial Baptist Church in Red Hook, Brooklyn, in 1953. Dennis died of lung cancer on April 5, 1957.
Second Marriage: Hunter L. Jordan, Sr. (known as "Daddy"). Born in Henrico County near Richmond, Virginia, to a Black father and a Native American mother. He worked as a furnace fireman for the New York City Housing Authority in Red Hook. He married Ruth when she had eight children, added four more, and bought a four-bedroom stucco house in St. Albans, Queens. He maintained a brownstone at 478 Carlton Avenue in Fort Greene, Brooklyn, until it was condemned by the city in 1969. He died from a stroke in May 1972 at age .
Education and Later Pursuits:
Ruth earned a Bachelor of Arts in Social Work Administration from Temple University in 1986 at the age of .
She ran a weekly reading club for senior citizens at the Ewing, New Jersey public library, volunteered at the Philadelphia Emergency Center for homeless teenage mothers, and served at Jerusalem Baptist Church in Trenton, New Jersey.
The Twelve Children of Ruth McBride Jordan
Andrew Dennis McBride (Dennis):
B.A. from Lincoln University; M.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Medical School; M.P.H. from Yale University.
Served as Assistant Secretary for Health and State Health Director for North Carolina.
Rosetta McBride:
B.A. from Howard University (fully funded by the Joseph L. Fisher Foundation); M.S.W. from Hunter College.
Worked as a Clinical Social Worker for the New York City Board of Education.
William McBride (Billy):
B.A. from Lincoln University; M.D. from Yale University School of Medicine; M.B.A. from Emory University School of Business.
Served as Medical Director for the Southeast Region, Medical and Scientific Affairs at Merck & Co., Inc.
David McBride:
B.A. from Denison University; M.A. and Ph.D. in History from Columbia University.
Served as Chairman of the Afro-American History Department at Pennsylvania State University.
Helen McBride-Richter:
R.N. from the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania; G.O.N.P. from Emory University School of Medicine; graduate student in Nurse Midwifery at Emory.
At age , became a Black power activist, dropped out of school, ran away to Harlem, and later earned her nursing degree.
Richard McBride (Richie):
U.S. Army veteran; B.A. in Chemistry from Cheyney University; M.S. from Drexel University.
Worked as an Associate Professor of Chemistry at Cheyney State and a Chemistry Research Associate at AT&T.
Dorothy McBride-Wesley (Dotty):
A.A. from Pierce Junior College; B.A. from La Salle University.
Worked as a medical practice office manager in Atlanta, Georgia.
James McBride:
B.A. from Oberlin College (); M.S.J. in Journalism from Columbia University ().
Worked as a journalist for the Wilmington News Journal, The Boston Globe, People, The Washington Post, Us, Rolling Stone, and the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Awarded the 1993 Stephen Sondheim Award for musical theater composition (for Bobos); composer, saxophonist, and author.
Kathy Jordan:
B.A. from Syracuse University; M.S. in Education from Long Island University.
Worked as a special education teacher at Ewing High School in New Jersey.
Judy Jordan:
B.A. from Adelphi University; M.A. from Columbia University Teachers College.
Worked as a music teacher in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Hunter Jordan, Jr.:
B.S. in Computer Engineering from Syracuse University.
Worked as a computer consultant for a New York area bank.
Henry Jordan:
Attended North Carolina A&T State University.
Worked in customer service and purchasing for Neal Manufacturing, Inc. in Greensboro, North Carolina.
Life in Suffolk, Virginia, and the Shilsky Store
Geographic Relocation:
After living in Glens Falls (New York), Belleville (New Jersey), Port Jervis (New York), Springfield (Massachusetts), and Dover, the Shilsky family moved to Suffolk, Virginia, around .
The town was heavily focused on the peanut industry, anchored by Planters Peanuts and founder Mr. Obici, who built the local hospital.
Shilsky's Grocery Store:
Located at 601 North Main Street at an intersection near the county courthouse, jailhouse, clerk's office, and the wharf on the Nansemond River.
Fishel Shilsky purchased the building with financial assistance via a bank note signed by Israel Levy.
The store sold coal, lumber, firewood, ice ( per chunk), kerosene, candy, Coca-Cola, loose cigarettes (Camels, Lucky Strikes, Chesterfields for each, Wings at two for ), and BC Powder ( per packet).
The store operated on Sundays due to keeping the Sabbath from Friday sundown to Saturday sundown.
Family Exploitation and Abuse:
Tateh charged Black customers a % markup on goods while harbouring severe racial prejudice against them.
Tateh subjected Ruth to long-term sexual abuse, crawling into her bed at night and molesting her.
Tateh forced his son Sam (Sparky) to work long hours, cutting ice, sawing wood, and studying Hebrew; Sam ran away to Chicago at age , worked for Montgomery Ward, joined the U.S. Army, and was killed in Alaska during World War II in February .
Tateh divorced Hudis by obtaining a quickie divorce in Reno, Nevada, after she refused to sign divorce papers, subsequently moving in with a non-Jewish woman named Mrs. Claxton.
Social Isolation and Antisemitism:
Suffolk was strictly segregated by race and religion; deeds in neighborhoods like Riverview specified "for White Anglo-Saxon Protestants only."
Ruth was targeted by classmates with slurs such as "Christ killer" and "Jew baby," prompting her to adopt the name Ruth instead of Rachel or Ruchel.
Her only close white friend was Frances Moody, a gentle girl whose family lived near the cemetery; they frequently sat on headstones and shared food.
As a teenager, Ruth fell in love with a Black boy named Peter who lived behind the store. When she became pregnant at age , her mother discovered her dropped bracelet at the rendezvous site and quietly arranged for Ruth to visit her grandmother in New York, where Aunt Betsy took her to a doctor in Manhattan for an abortion.
Childhood and Adolescence of James McBride
Early Life in the Projects and St. Albans:
Raised initially at 811 Hicks Street (Apartment 6G / 80 Dwight Street) in the Red Hook Housing Projects in Brooklyn, then moved to Murdock Avenue in St. Albans, Queens.
Household rules enforced by Ruth included strict curfews, mandatory academic performance, attendance at church, and an absolute prohibition against revealing family business to outsiders.
To manage the household, Ruth established the "king/queen system," where the eldest child living at home was granted authority over the younger siblings.
Identity Confusion and Racial Dynamics:
James struggled with his mother's race, questioning why she did not look like him or the mothers of his peers.
When James asked if God was Black or white, Ruth responded that God is a spirit and that "God is the color of water."
During the rise of Black Power in , James feared that Black militants would harm his mother.
At school, James created an imaginary boy in the mirror to cope with his feelings of isolation. On talent day at P.S. 138, he performed a James Brown dance for his white classmates to gain acceptance.
Adolescent Rebellion and Rehabilitation:
Following the death of his stepfather Hunter Jordan in , James dropped out of high school, failed his classes, smoked marijuana, shoplifted, stole car batteries, and snatched purses.
To distance him from bad influences, Ruth sent James to Louisville, Kentucky, to stay with his older stepsister Jacqueline (Jack) and her husband, Big Richard.
In Louisville, James hung out at Thirty-fourth Street and Vermont Avenue outside Vermont Liquors, spending time with street regulars such as Red, Hot Sausage, One-Armed James, and Chicken Man.
Chicken Man lectured James on his wasteful behavior, emphasizing that the street offered no real future and urging him to value his education.
After Chicken Man was stabbed to death in a liquor store following an argument with a woman, James took the advice to heart, returned to New York, corrected his behavior, and focused on music and academics at Pierre S. Du Pont High School in Wilmington, Delaware.
Family Life, Religion, and Community
Religious Transition and Faith:
Ruth turned away from Orthodox Judaism—a tradition she felt was defined by rigid rules and a lack of expressed affection—and embraced Christianity after her mother's death in .
She joined Metropolitan Baptist Church in Harlem under Rev. W. Abner Brown, where she served as church secretary.
In , Ruth and Dennis McBride established the New Brown Memorial Baptist Church in Red Hook, Brooklyn, holding initial prayer meetings at their kitchen table before leasing a storefront at 195 Richards Street.
In Queens, Ruth attended Whosoever Baptist Church, pastored by Rev. Owens.
Domestic Living Conditions:
In Red Hook and Queens, the children slept three or four to a bed using the "head up, toes down" arrangement.
Clothes, shoes, and musical instruments were passed down systematically through the family.
The family kept a rotating array of pets, including gerbils, mice, dogs (including a German Shepherd named Abe), cats, rabbits, fish, birds, turtles, and frogs.
Household Philosophy:
Ruth prioritized two core pillars for her children: education and religion.
Material wealth was rejected as meaningless without intellectual and spiritual development.
Despite low finances, Ruth utilized public resources, taking her children on subway trips to free museums, zoos, concerts, and the Guggenheim Dental Clinic for free dental care.
Ruth's Journey in New York and Harlem
Extended Family in New York:
Aunt Laura and Paul Schiffman: Owned apartment buildings in the Bronx and Harlem; lived on West End Avenue with a live-in maid and owned a summer cottage in Rockaway Beach/Edgemere.
Uncle Hal: Owned a kosher delicatessen in Brooklyn.
Aunt Mary: Ran Hercules Skiving or Trimming Company, a leather factory in Manhattan that produced trimmings for fur coats. She conducted an affair with a married man named Mr. Stein.
Uncle Isaac: Married to Aunt Mary; worked as a shoemaker at H. Bendel's on Fifty-third and Fifth Avenue, making shoes for stars like Janet Gaynor and Myrna Loy.
Aunt Betsy: The youngest sister; worked as a bookkeeper for a lingerie store in Manhattan and funded Ruth's abortion.
Harlem and the Hi Hat Barbershop:
After leaving Aunt Mary's factory, Ruth searched for work in Harlem. She attempted hairdressing at a salon on 135th Street and Seventh Avenue, but was fired after failing to style Black hair properly.
She was hired as a manicurist at the Hi Hat Barbershop on Seventh Avenue near 138th Street (near Small's Paradise) by a manager named Rocky.
Rocky rented a room for Ruth on 122nd Street near Seventh Avenue and began grooming her to become a prostitute. Andrew Dennis McBride confronted Ruth about Rocky's motives, prompting her to return to her grandmother Bubeh's apartment.
Marriage and Life with Dennis McBride:
Ruth and Dennis lived together in a room in a three-bedroom apartment managed by Mrs. Ellis at the Port Royal on 129th Street between Seventh and Eighth Avenues.
They were officially married in by Rev. W. Abner Brown in his private office at Metropolitan Baptist Church, with a small reception hosted by Sam and Trafinna "Ruth" Wilson on 103rd Street and Third Avenue.
They lived in a one-room kitchenette for nine years at a cost of per week, using dresser drawers as cribs for their first four children before moving to a two-bedroom apartment at 795 Hicks Street in the Red Hook Housing Projects in .
Historical Context and Civil Rights Dynamics
Jim Crow and Segregation:
The Shilsky family lived through strict Jim Crow segregation in Suffolk, Virginia, during the s.
Black residents faced severe disenfranchisement, lack of basic infrastructure (no running water, paved roads, or electricity in Black neighborhoods), and violence from the Ku Klux Klan and law enforcement.
Interracial Marriage Challenges:
Interracial relationships faced extreme legal and social opposition. In Virginia, miscegenation laws made relationships between Black men and white women dangerous, carrying threats of lynching or mob violence.
When Ruth married Dennis McBride, her Orthodox Jewish family disowned her completely, sitting shiva and reciting the kaddish prayer to signify that she was dead to them.
When Ruth sought financial help from her family after Dennis died in , her Aunt Betsy slammed the door in her face, and her sister Gladys's husband prohibited her from calling again.
Civil Rights Activism:
Dennis McBride participated in early civil rights efforts, supporting figures such as Paul Robeson, A. Philip Randolph, Jackie Robinson, and Martin Luther King, Jr.
Her children participated in the Black Power movement, student sit-ins, and anti-war protests during the s and s.
Reconnecting with the Past and Later Years
James's Research Travels:
In November , James traveled to Suffolk, Virginia, using a hand-drawn map created by Ruth.
He visited 601 North Main Street (then converted to a McDonald's parking lot) and met Eddie Thompson, an elderly Black neighbor who remembered the Shilsky family, Fishel's cruelty, Hudis's kindness, and the family store.
James connected with Aubrey Rubenstein, whose father bought the Shilsky store in , as well as members of the Jaffe family.
In August , James brought Ruth back to Suffolk. She reunited with her childhood friend, Frances Moody Falcone, in Portsmouth, Virginia, marking her first contact with her past in over years.
The 40th Anniversary of New Brown Memorial:
In October , Ruth attended the th anniversary gala of the New Brown Memorial Baptist Church at the Ramada Hotel near LaGuardia Airport in Queens.
She delivered a speech honoring her late husband Dennis McBride and recounting the founding of the church in their living room.
Literary Excerpt: Miracle at St. Anna
Prologue Key Events (December 1983):
Hector Negron, a -year-old Puerto Rican postal clerk in Manhattan who served in World War II, shoots and kills a customer at the Thirty-fourth Street post office.
In Negron's Harlem apartment at 145th Street, police and rookie Daily News reporter Tim Boyle discover the marble head of a statue.
Art experts at MOMA and NYU identify it as the long-missing head of the Primavera from the Santa Trinita bridge in Florence, Italy.
A newspaper report of the discovery reaches Rome, where an Italian man in a Caraceni suit recognizes the news and flees in shock.
Chapter 1 Key Events (December 12, 1944):
Private Sam Train, a '", -pound Black soldier from High Point, North Carolina, serves in the all-Black nd Infantry Division ("Buffalo Soldiers") in the Apuane Alps along the Gothic Line in Italy.
During an assault across the Cinquale Canal near Forte dei Marmi under heavy German fire from the th Brigade Division, Train experiences a sensation of becoming invisible.
Train carries a marble statue head in a net bag on his hip, which he found in Florence and believes grants him protection and invulnerability.
After being struck in the head by shrapnel, Train is revived via CPR by a gold-toothed soldier named Bishop ("Walking Thunder"), who demands dollars Train owes him from gambling games.
Bishop orders Train to retrieve a young boy hiding under a moving haystack near a stone barn.
Chapter 1: "Dead"
Identity & Name Changes:
Born Ruchel Dwajra Zylska on April 1, , in Poland.
Legally changed to Rachel Deborah Shilsky upon immigrating to the U.S. in .
Permanently dropped "Rachel" for "Ruth" in after leaving Virginia for New York.
Family Mourning:
Her Orthodox Jewish family declared her dead, sitting shiva and reciting kaddish when she married Andrew Dennis McBride, a Black man.
Parents:
Fishel Shilsky ("Tateh"): An Orthodox rabbi who escaped the Russian army; short, dark, money-driven, and emotionally/physically abusive.
Hudis Shilsky ("Mameh"): Born in in Dobryzn, Poland; gentle and meek; suffered from polio which left her left side paralyzed and left eye nearly blind.
Chapter 2: "The Bicycle"
Grief and the Blue Bicycle:
After her second husband, Hunter L. Jordan, Sr. ("Daddy"), dies of a stroke at age , Ruth grieves by riding an old blue bicycle through St. Albans, Queens, and playing the piano.
James, age , feels embarrassed by his white mother riding an antique bike in their Black neighborhood.
James's Rebellion:
Struggles with grief, fails his classes, cuts school, smokes weed, and shoplifts.
Parenting & Rules:
Ruth manages twelve children with strict discipline: "Head up, toes down" sleeping arrangements, zero tolerance for cursing, and insistence on privacy ("Never tell your business").
Ruth walks James to kindergarten at P.S. ; when asked why she looks different, she dodges questions and emphasizes school and education.
Chapter 3: "Kosher"
Immigration to America:
Arrived on August 23, , aboard the steamer Austergeist.
Lived in Manhattan with grandparents Zaydeh and Bubeh on Street and St. Nicholas Avenue.
Religious Practices:
Strict kosher rules required separate dishware, tablecloths, and cutlery for dairy and meat meals.
Sabbath observed from Friday sundown to Saturday sundown without turning on lights or riding in cars.
Zaydeh's Death:
When Zaydeh died in the apartment, the family buried him quickly, covered all mirrors, and sat shiva on boxes for seven days.
The sudden burial gave Ruth a lifelong fear of being buried alive and severe claustrophobia.
Chapter 4: "Black Power"
Racial Identity & Tension ():
Set during the rise of Black Power in Queens following Malcolm X's death.
James's brother Richie teases him that he is adopted and that his "real mother is in jail."
Fear for His Mother:
James fears Black militants will harm his white mother.
At a Fresh Air Fund camp bus drop-off, James punches a Black Panther's son out of fear that the father will harm Ruth.
Ruth's Contradictions:
Distrusts white society and authority, yet insists her children attend top white/Jewish public schools.
Rejects luxury and bourgeois airs, preferring working-class Black communities like the Red Hook Housing Projects in Brooklyn.
Chapter 5: "The Old Testament"
Constant Relocation:
Tateh worked as a traveling rabbi, moving through Glens Falls (NY), Belleville (NJ), Port Jervis (NY), Springfield (MA), and Dover.
Sister Gladys ("Dee-Dee") was born in Springfield, MA, around 1924$.
Move to Suffolk, Virginia (1929601100\%151944$.
Chapter 6: "The New Testament"
Christian Faith:
Ruth actively attends Whosoever Baptist Church under Rev. Owens, singing loudly despite her off-key voice.
When James asks her if God is Black or White, Ruth answers: "God is the color of water."
Children's Spiritual Struggles:
Richie questions why Jesus is depicted as white in Sunday school materials, arguing Jesus should be gray, and eventually stops attending.
During an Easter recitation at New Brown Memorial Baptist Church, brother Billy freezes on stage and simply recites, "Jesus wept."