Summer Reading Assignment

A. Answer the following questions:

1. McBride divides The Color of Water between the mother and the son’s memory of childhood. What is the attitude of each of these characters toward their respective childhoods? Is it mostly positive or negative? Write a paragraph about each character and give examples of specific incidents that support your answer.

2. Both Judaism and Christianity are central to the book. How do Ruth and James each relate to these religions? Do they change their attitudes? And, if so, why do their attitudes change? Write two paragraphs, the first focusing on Judaism and the second focusing on Christianity, explaining how Ruth and James each relate to their religious upbringing.

3. Write a paragraph about how Ruth instills the importance of education into James and her other children. Give specific examples and page numbers as described in the instructions.

4. Find 6 examples (3 for Ruth, 3 for James) of how prejudice of any kind affects the characters.

5. What are your three favorite chapters out of the 25 chapters of The Color of Water? What specifically made you choose those chapters?

6. Why did James McBride write this book? Much of the book must have been painful to recollect. Each character faced enormous challenges. What do you think McBride believes is important about facing the challenges that life brings to us? Write a paragraph explaining your opinion and give specific examples to support your answer.

7. Tell us in a complete paragraph what you specifically liked about the book.

B. Define the following terms:

1. Black Panthers – What did they stand for as an organization?

2. The Black Power movement

3. Adam Clayton Powell

4. Malcolm X

5. bar mitzvah

6. Hasidic

7. yarmulkes (kippah)

8. Haggadah

9. Holocaust

10. kaddish

11. kosher

12. Orthodox Jew

13. Passover seder

14. Passover

15. Shabbat

16. shiv’ ah (shiva)

17. tallit (tallis)

18. Yiddish