Book Review #1

The Color of Water by James McBride

Reviewed By Kevin Dervishi

The Color of Water is a very unique book about and written by James McBride. It is not an action book or a large bundle of emotions. It’s a memoir of a man’s life, James McBride. And his life, just like the book, is very unique. The book shows the entire path of his life; and the life before him. Around half the book is told by his mother, Ruth McBride whose tale is just as interesting. They both show the roads they took, all the stones they passed, and what lies underneath them.

Ruth McBride is a different woman with a strange tale. She's a white Jewish woman converted to Christianity that had two husbands, both black in a time of segregation and racism. As a young girl she ran away from her sick mother and cretin of a father. After dealing with trial after trial she finally manages to get a home, and raise a family with her husband. She has a baby. And then another. And another. And another until eventually she had 12 kids.

James McBride is one of those kids. All 12 kids (including James) had to deal with racism and everything it causes. As you can imagine his family was incredibly poor, and adding that to the struggles they've all been dealing with, well, that might just drive everybody crazy. James has to cope with this all, and make a future for himself in the chaos of his crowded house.

The Color of Water is a book many people wouldn't like. Anyone under 13 probably wouldn't be interested, and it does contain some mature themes, but aside from that, the main reason is that this book is all about life. It doesn't have some lesson out of a made up situation, because it's real, the whole book is real, and it's them is life. It's theme is life and nothing but. It's a riveting tale of a mother and her son's life that deals with all the elements of life itself, and you have to be the type of person that can enjoy that and appreciate it. I did, and I give it a four out of five.

Journal #8

Chapters 11 and 12: ...

Piggy

Words cannot express my numbness from the past 24 hours. I'm not going to hide the truth. The journal you are reading is that of a dead man. At the moment I'm not even sure how my ethereal self is able to write this. Alright I realize this journal is starting to make as much sense as the past 24 hours so I'll explain what happened. "You were supposed to be the intelligence of this group, the lone voice of reason replacing their absent conscience. And now look what you've done, they've all fallen apart into savages and you've even bloody broken your specs." Auntie tells me. Suddenly she starts fading away, her sternness never departing from her expression. "Don't leave me Auntie!" I cried. I sat up suddenly, realizing I was having a nightmare. As much of a nightmare this island was itself, I wish I could see. See the barren never ending horizon, see the vibrant hues of the sun rising unopposed by the gray dim clouds. But I doubt I'll ever see again. Yes, I'm afraid my sight has come to a cessation I told myself. It was depressing but true. I felt like yelling an ululation, one that would go past this puny island and be free, free to stretch across to the heavens. Too bad I can't scream that loud. I sit miserably and wait, until eventually Ralph wakes up. He calls a meeting. "We're going down to Castle Rock boys"

Journal #7

Chapters 9 and 10: The Dance of Death

Simon


I woke up, to the sound of a voice. "Simon. Simon. Wake up. You don't want me to get mad now Simon." I looked up. All the terror that was purged by my restless faint immediately returned three-fold. "Get away!" I shouted at the skull, wondering if the answer to this strange was theological. That was the skull that started all this, the one that brought us here, for before I fainted in the middle of it's illumination. It wanted me dead. It was evil and nothing but. As I stared into the black, cold tunnels of it's eyes, it's jaw grinned with an evil malice. "What are you looking at?" it said flashing a grin. There was nothing left of me in that spot but footprints. "HAHAHAHAHAHA" I could hear it's evil laugh as thorns whipped at my corpulent, beat up body. I was gone, a blur through the trees, not caring where I was going, just running away from the evil of the Lord Of The Flies. Panting, I stopped to breath. A rock at my feet started to move. It looked as if bugs were crawling under it, sending the rock into a wriggling movement. Suddenly it shaped itself into...the LOTF, "HAHAHA RUN SIMON RUN, YOU CAN'T ESCAPE YOUR DOOM." it's hollow eye tunnels burst into flames. My feet ran once more, pain and thought replaced solely by adrenaline.

Journal #6

Chapter 8: It finally happened

Piggy

Praise the lord! Happy day, oh happy day! This is the best thing I could have asked for (aside from being rescued or auntie coming of course) on this hellhole of an island. That demoniac bloke Jack is gone, no more, out into the jungle in shame and never coming back and mocking me or socking me. Oh joy, to see his face, with those two bars of ol' man river. His expression, one of utter disbelief and disgrace, was so fitting. How many times would he pick on me, not 1 on 1, but in front of every single boy present. What number of times was it that he would call me names, and discriminate me for my difference. There are still some demure issues to deal with. I'm getting ahead of myself. I know I'm the only one who's ever (going to) read this or my previous journal entries, but a reader would be totally lost with what I'm talking about. So here I am the morning after everybody except the littluns left, pulling my hair out trying to keep track of the littluns despite Barry's constant whining about his cat mittens, or Jimmy's annoying antics of inserting crabs down the back of my shirt while I'm not looking. The hope of being rescued was becoming a taboo in my head. Suddenly I see Percival point at an opening in the trees. I nearly fell over in releif. Through those trees came Ralph, Simon, all the other biguns, and that pigheaded Jack in front of them. Finally I could be done with this hellish babysitting job, AND find out news about the beastie. I never saw any babysitters on that one American show, what's it called...Gilligan's Island, that's it. Those Americans are too misleading with their sitcoms. Anyways, as I neared them, I saw they had expressions that were angry, fearful, or both. That conceited Jack was boiling mad, perhaps worse than the time he got me in the gut. I swear the prefects at his old school must have to set somebody to watch him every day. Jerk. As it turns out, everybody waited at the bottom of the mountain, and only Jack, Ralph, and Roger went up. I'm sure it was Jack who made the foolhardy decision to go up there at night. Their description of the beastie paled my face though. I could never imagine it had a nest of skulls, or that it had claws the size of my head. Anyways, once they saw the monstrosity, they ran back to the others and evacuated the area immediately. And here they all were. Jack, still looking waxy, grabbed the conch from Ralph, ran ahead of everyone, and started- I mean tried- to blow it. As silly as it sounded when he blew it with his mouth and his puny intellect, everyone crowded around him in light of this rushed meeting. Jack then proceeded to speak in more detail of the beast how he'd like to paunch it, and then, out of nowhere, he (verbally) attacked Ralph mercilessly. That fool called him a coward, said he wasn't fit to be our leader. That ego-maniac only wants everyone to think he's a better chief. And then, he decided to end it, too bad (for him) it ended differently than he had excepted. He told everybody to vote whether Ralph should be de-throned and he leader, or not. He shouted, "Who wants me for leader?" with the cockiness he loved. But happily for me, a deadly silence greeted his idea. He said it again, his arrogance breaking apart. This time the silence was solid and blunt. "Alright then" he said. He attempted to hide his tears under that mop of hair. He placed the conch on the ground, and ran off. I was about to cheer, but then I saw Ralph calling after him and I decided not to. Minutes later after everybody disperses, lost in their own thoughts, I see Ralph slinking off towards the pool, visibly depressed. I go to him and tell him one of the ideas I came up with when I had to telling Kernel why we couldn't go to the fire and light it again. I says to him, "Hey Ralph, don't be so down, listen, I've got an idea." For the moment he loses those tendrils of thought and is interested by the tone of my voice. "Why does that have to be the only fire area if we can't even get there? Why don't just build a fire here on the beach?" He greets my idea with a thoughtful expression, one with intellect rather than depression. "Of course it won't be as big or make as much (smoke)" I add. "But we can use them green candle plants to make some smoke and we'll be right at hand to put on more wood." Things seemed cheery. Ralph was lost in thought, thinking of my idea. As his thoughts start to drift into other areas, he asks me, "Where's Roger and Bill?" This sudden question surprised me. We both realized that they along with a few other biguns, were missing. Our eyes both trailed to the jungle, and we silently agreed that they must have run off and joined Jack. This was a bit of downer. We separating, each brooding for most of the day. Around dusk, we actually went and built the fire. Rather small, but not smaller than I excpected, so I didn't really mind. Unfortunately, there as no smoke. We decided to worry about it the next day. Suddenly, and bunch of savages with painted faces emerged from the jungle of tall trees. They came out screaming, and I nearly wet myself. Ralph however, was brave, and stayed near the fire, realizing what they were after, and attempting to protect it. I'm afraid however, two smaller savages came and grabbed two pieces of burning wood, and before Ralph could stop them, sprinted away. They, along with the rest of the savages, went into from where they came, and the whole thing ended as fast as it started. Then SamN'Eric emerged from the trees, saying how they narrowly avoided the savages that I realized was Jack and the ones who decided to join him. Strange how they came out unscathed and right after the savages left. I could have sworn I even saw some red stuff next to Eric's right eye, but he and Sam dismissed it as blood from a cut when they ran away from the savages. I'll be keeping my eye on them.

*Note from the writer: The nest of skulls and head-claws comment was to show how out of proportion things got because of their fear and the blindness that ensued darkness.

Journal #5

Chapters 6 and 7: Fright and a Beast-hunt

Ralph


I was woken up to a shout, realizing it was the twins SamN'Eric chattering and flailing their arms in a panicked fashion, "The beastie, Ralph, we saw it-" "big claws and teeth, nearly got me". The words took some time to register but once they did I told them, "Call a meeting NOW" This was bad, very, very bad. I didn't expect the beastie to be real. It means the littluns were right and the biguns were wrong. The thought I allowed such a thing to happen made me feel like guano. For once the dun, interminable darkness was helpful, because now I could think without interruption. The best thing to do would be to hunt it down and kill it before it would hurt one of us or more. We weren't impervious to it and we're lucky we didn't get attacked by it while we didn't know it was real. Calming myself as SamN'Eric brought forward everybody. In the darkness I announced that SamN'Eric had seen the beastie, and when the sun comes up we would go and hunt it. Some were frightened, some were excited and bloodthirsty. Jack was positively waxy about this new development, especially since he was leader of the hunters. While he was speaking and active, I asked if there was anywhere he hadn't been. He stubbornly admitted he hadn't been past the rocks near the mountain. It was decided. That would be our 1st destination, and if we found nothing we would head to the original spotting of the beastie, the mountain. Later in the morning, we all went hiking, Jack taking the lead. Once we climb almost to the top I tell Jack with a bravado, "I'm leader, I'll go ahead, you stay and wait for the all-clear." I get to the top and disappointingly all I find a large cave. "What a place for a fort!" Jack exclaimed. We was visibly interested and kept coming up with ideas for the cave. Suddenly everyone was fooling around. This wasn't the plan, we were supposed to kill the beastie and stay safe, not fool around. I walk out and stare at the ocean. The only barrier keeping us from home, a behemoth, alone yet unstoppable in it's volume. A cruel mistress, taunting us in our captivity, I felt like we'll never get rescued. Suddenly Simon comes and says, "I think you'll get back to where you came from" This cheers me up. Batty bloke, cheering up an ally. I shout at everyone and say we need to head to the mountain to hunt for the beastie, some mutinously continuing to throw boulders off the cliff some listening and some coming with me. Eventually we're all hiking again with Jack in the lead. About halfway there we take a detour into the pig-run. Suddenly a big beast comes towards us. Tusks, fur and a large husk of a body, it charged towards us with a animalistic yell. Using my built-up adrenaline, I heaved the make-shift spear and pegged it right in the snout. I shouted, "I hit it". It shrieked and ran off. We gave chase, but it got away. Again I shouted, "I hit it!" smiling happily. Suddenly, I saw everyone making a circle towards Robert. I heard the chant, it flowed through me like my blood(lust). I yelled, "KILL HIM, KILL HIM", caught up in the game. After we all calm down we continue. Everything seems unchanged for a while, but then when we start on the mountain trail, everybody leaves, aware of the approaching darkness that dusk always brings. I suggested to Jack and Roger, the only remaining people, that we sleep and wait for morning, otherwise we won't be able to find the beastie. They didn't listen, and he acted too jeeringly for me to leave them alone. We hiked up, but almost at the top, the blanket of darkness engulfed us. We persisted, and we made it to the top. Nothing could have prepared me for what i saw. I giant beast, the size of an ape, black and swinging. We all dropped our spears and ran to warn the others.

Journal #4

Chapter 5: Go soak your head Ralph

Jack

I knew it. I knew it, I knew it I knew it. That ludicrous Ralph is no leader, he's a bossy little- oh why does society prevent me from saying the next word? Anyways, he stormed off tempestuously once he declared a meeting even after I apologized like anybody with decorum would. I went and dove into the pool with Maurice and Roger. That Roger is a smart boy, don't take no nonsense from any of those little effigies of weaklings too kindly referred to as "littluns". If I were leader, me and Roger would make sure we didn't tolerate those piles of dung. I couldn't stay for long though, because jeeringly I may have acted, but I was still curious and bored. So, pulling myself out, I walked over, looking non-nonchalant and showing no emotion. I was dissapointed, all he spoke of were rules, rules, rules, and regulations. (mockingly) You need to fill up the coconuts, you need to take a crap in the right place blah blah blah. Ok so the fire was my fault, but he didn't have to keep restating how important it was, and those stupid littleuns kept trying to convince us of this stupid "beastie". I am an excellent hunter, and there wasn't any "beastie" anywhere. I stood up and shouted this. My hunters nod their heads in agreement. Then one of the stupid littluns decides to meander up and talk about how it comes out of the sea at night. Truthfully, I was shocked and actually on the brink of acceptance at this thought, then he continued about seeing it at night when he went to the bathroom. Silent, I sat there speechless. Then Simon says he went out and the littlun saw him. Too embarrassed to say he was taken short, I did him the favor of saying it for him. Hehe. In the end, Ralph just keeps bossing us around and hogging the conch, he's too weak to be the leader. I should be the leader, because I'm much better than him. He was scared of the beastie, I could tell, so I just stood up and shouted that me and my loyal and strong hunters would kill it. Nothing to it. I left soon after. Go soak you head Ralph, then I'll lead us the right way.

Journal #3

Chapters 3 & 4: Delayed

Simon

Oh dear this is bad. I am in my secret spot right now, not only for the peace and quiet to write my journal, but because today's events have left me quite stressed out. I wish I could go back in time so I can stop all these events from ever happening. I should start from the beginning. Jack decided as leader of the hunters, he should get us some meat while me, Ralph and the littleuns make shelter. Before we could object he tempestuously stormed off with an improvised spear and a ramble of "meat" and "barbs". I wish he wasn't so rash. Inspired, the littluns helped us build huts. But as most small children do they soon lost interest and wandered off. For about two or three hours Ralph and I worked unaided and rapt on our shelters, and eventually Jack came back empty-handed. He and Ralph started to argue until things got rather blatant. Ralph thought Jack and the huntor's weren't helping enough and avoiding the real work. Jack said they needed the meat with a slight belligerence. I knew they would eventually bring me into this so while they weren't looking I couldn't resist the compulsion to sneak off. I went to my secret spot, and on the way there there were some children who couldn't reach the fruit the wanted, on eof the viscitudes of being a small child. I couldn't help but remember how much that annoyed me, and I helped them out. Once I got to my secret spot I relaxed and enjoyed the stillness of my isolated paradise. The aroma nulled my mind to a point where I harbored on sleep and reality. As my eyes slowly closed, I prayed a ship would come by soon.

I woke up groggily. Smiling, I stretched and left my oasis in search of Ralph and Jaxck, hoping they had ended their quarrel, unaware of all our impalpable bad luck. Strolling through the opaque grouping of trees, I stepped onto the warm sand of the beach. I saw Ralph conversing with some of the littleuns. As I walked towards them all I could make out before the little ones capered away was "we think it can come at night." Before I could ask Ralph what was going on, my prayers were answered. For beyond the inscrutable horizon, I beacon, a line of smoke, drifted towards our island. Finding myself giddy I shouted, "SMOKE, SMOKE!" Ralph looked and as Piggy glanced at it he worrily asked, "Is our fire producing smoke?" Ralph looked in the mountain's direction. The truth was creeping up on us like one of the endless tendrils. I put my hand on Ralph's shoulder, making him remember he's not alone. Suddenly he ran off into the scar and towards the mountain. As I gave chase after him, I wondered if the hunters were ok and if something bad had happened to them. I feared that the "beastie " was real and had taken them as it's next meal. As we got to the top, we saw the dead peak of the mountain and the malevolently clear-blue sky. "OH GOD OH GOD!", Ralph shouted. He climbed onto the top and at the top of his lungs shouted "COME BACK!". Relentless, he shouted even louder "COME BACK!" But it was futile. The ship and it's warmth, it's idea of escape, departed. The miserable silence was broken by a strange gory chant. To my releif, I saw the huntors unharmed. In between the twins, a pig's carcass was present. Emotionless, I observed them argue. My mind was an empty void. I sat, my spirit crushed. My prayer came true, and we are still on this island anyways. Eventually, after much vilence and apologizing from Jack, Ralph walks off, visibly angry, stating there will be a meeting soon.

Journal #2

Chapter 2: The Bloody Fools

Piggy

Idiotic simpletons. Because of their officious and errant behavior a small boy's body lies lifeless in an inferno. After we all met and introduced eachother, we decided that to maintain order we will have a system for speaking. The boy who wishes to speak may hold the conch and won't be interupted except by Ralph. Ralph. I don't know what to think of him. He wishes well, but it's thanks to him my day was filled with nothing but martyred incidents. He didn't care what I said, he still told everyone to call me Piggy. Then again, Jack is five times worse. He induced everyone not to listen to me, and now look what happened. After deciding the system, Ralph decided we should find a way to attract nearby ships or planes with a fire. Jack, the malicous bloke, got all the boys filled with an ebullience that always follows careless error. They rushed to get to the mountain, ignoring the obviously urgent fact we had no shelter. I made my way through the jungle after them. Stampeding like elephants they clambered all the way to the mountain. Chaos being maintained, I found myself simply sitting, out of choices. I helplessly watched as they started to pile dead and mossy wood on the peak where, according to Simon, they stood triumphant only one or two hours ago. Now as the stack reached toward the sky like an oblivious hand, I knew this wouldn't turn out good. Suddenly my grim thoughts were punctured by a shout, "HIS SPECS". Apparently while I was spaced out they realized they had no matches. Too bad they went crazy and pinched my specs to atone for it. Animals, they griped and groped for my specs and that cruel Jack swiped the specs. This was crossing the line and I spoke up. Give me back my specs I told them, but then Jack just told me to shut up and called me fattie. I took the conch from Ralph and shouted, "Look, I have the conch so listen and stop talkin-" suddenly I was cut off by Jack's harsh cry "SHUT.UP. YOU FATSO!". There was nothing I could do, my emotional state bruised, I piped up. I stood, blinded, miserable. A figure, Ralph, gave me back my specs, and my harsh look had no effect on his emotionless face. The deed was done, and the fire flared, a majestic volcano. Even I was awestruck at the fountain of flames reaching for the heavens with every spark flying until fading into the world. I regained myself thought and as I glanced at the annoying creepers that populated the island's jungle, I saw a spark, not quite obliterated by the air, and before the impending consequence of this whole venture came, I announced to them all about their mistake, and how the pay would be harsh. I suddenly realized the small boy with the mark that I had taken a liking to was gone. "WHERE IS HE? WHERE IS THE BOY YOU DIDN'T BOTHER TO KEEP TRACK OF?" I shouted. On the inside I knew he was capering the forest, oblivious to his incoming doom. Defeated, I sat and escaped to my mind. In this position, I couldn't help but ask why I came to this position. Why don't they just listen? Why do I always get teased for being me? Why did we get shot down out of the hundreds of other evacuating planes? And most of of all when will I finally be free, not just of the island, but of the teasing, the ignorance, and the loneliness. I miss the warm hugs, the whispering "Don't worry my child, you are a smart lad and you should never forget it", the selfless sparkle in the brown pools of warmth. Oh Auntie, where are you?

Journal #1

Chapter 1: Stranded

Ralph

We’re stranded. It’s official. Later in the day we went hiking and we witnessed nothing but the sparkling blue ocean against the crimson sunset lined with the horizon. The sight drained the suffusion from my face. Not only that, but there was no smoke or sounds of civilization. Mabye we’ll be found by other evacuating planes or boats. But on the inside I know we may be forging for ourselves for a long time. The crash was terrifying, I could hear nothing but the din of the flames, rebellious to our escape and growing stonger from their enormity. When we crashed I was trailed by a rather portly boy that wouldn’t stop complaining about his ass-mar. He introduced himself (or more so I named him) as Piggy. I don’t want to be malicious, but he’s a rather, oh whats the word, dork? Anyways, together we found a conch. When we first find it I was incredulous. Bloody hell good luck finding one of those in England. The Queen probobly has several, lucky bloke. It’s like a child to me. Piggy said I can blow it to call the others. After a few attempts it made a sound that would frighten the strongest of men. The conch is my lion’s roar, and with the roar came the cubs. Cubs indeed, for after a few blows, at least 20 boys arrived out of the forest. Each individual, but all the same type of small. As they walked towards me I felt a sense of purpose as if I had done the right thing. Suddenly amid the shouting and activeness of the little ones, I glimpsed a big dark creature. I thought of alerting the others to run, but then I realized it was merely a group of older lads in black cloaks. The cloaks were worn to give and project a sense of importance, but they must bloody idiots to wear those kinds of togs in this scorcher. I'm sure some of the younger boys shared sniggers at this sight. Their leader however, was one that would soon be an ally. He introduced himself as Jack. One of his followers was Simon, a rather quiet lad but he still had a sense of pateince; one that showed he was good-hearted. Jack wanted to be leader of us all, but I found it quite unfair. Who is he to make himself leader? Shouldn't everybody else get a say in it? Anyways, to my suprise they elected me as leader. Jack's eyes were becoming black as tar so quick as a wink I gave him his cloaked followers back. This solidifyed his resolve. Soon after we established order, we all agreed that me, Jack, and Simon would find out if we are on an island. Unfotunatly the answer is easily conveyed in the endless sea and sky that's smoke-free.....