Final Color of Water Blog

The final reading assignment opens with Ruth talking about her blooming relationship with James's father, Dennis. Dennis and Ruth start to get to know each more; however, their happiness is put on hold when Ruth's mother becomes sick. Ruth temporarily returns to Suffolk to help her family. Soon enough, Ruth's father's mannerisms around his own family start to disgust Ruth. He continuously demands Ruth's mother for a divorce, but she never acquiesces. Finally, he leaves home to get a quick divorce. Ruth does as much as she can; however, in the end, she decides to return to New York. This was a pivotal point between Ruth and her sister Dee-Dee. Dee-Dee pleads with Ruth to come back and live in Virginia. Ruth promises her that she would. However, Ruth breaks that promise, and this creates a painful tension between Dee-Dee and herself. 

Switching to James's point of view, James continues his story as he takes a road trip down South to seek out his mother's past. James is now at a place in his life where he is seeking to uncover the origins of his mother's family. He wants to understand his mother's past to better understand his own. Armed with only the location of his mother's old house, and her best friend's name, Frances, James heads into town. Rather than finding his grandparent's old store, he finds a McDonald's, and behind the McDonald's, he finds an old house. A sixty-six year old Eddie Thompson answers. When James questions him about the Shilsky family, Eddie Thompson recalls many memories of the Shilsky family. Later that night, James walks down to the river where he feels a remarkable connection to his family's past. As James continues to explore the city of Suffolk, he walks down the Nansemond River, imagining what it must have been like to live her life. Here, James experiences one the closest connection to his past. This connection allows him to pay tribute to his past and to move past it.

One of the most emotional chapters of the book for me was chapter 21. In this chapter, Ruth vividly captures the image of her crippled mother playing with birds and singing to them "birdie, birdie, fly away."  This image is such a symbolic point in the book. Mameh's warning never to catch "a bird who flies" seems to connect to Ruth's frequent wanderlust. Ruth is like a bird who flies and should not be caught. Just the image of Ruth's mother singing "birdie, birdie, fly away" continued to play in my head as I continued reading the rest of the book.

Finally, the book ends with both Ruth and James discovering themselves. James recognizes that of all the extraordinary elements of Ruth's life, her children are what most define her. In the end, the epilogue adds to the sense of closure and of having come full circle. Ruth's entrance into the synagogue marks her ability to accept her own heritage, while sticking to her own, different, path. This book is definitely one of my favorites. Both of James's and Ruth's stories will forever stay with me for the rest of my life. Their stories of self discovery are inspiring for all those who read this incredible book. I definitely recommend this book for anyone looking for a good read!