mcbride-jordan, ruth

James McBride shares the story of his mother's life and complicated racial identity which he only learned after becoming an adult. He tells of her infancy in Poland as the daughter of an Orthodox Jewish rabbi, her childhood in small-town Virginia, her move to Harlem at the age of eighteen, her marriage to an African-American man, her achievements as a wife and mother to twelve children, and her refusal to ever admit she is white.

James McBride chronicles his twelve-year journey to learn about his mother's past, describing her unhappy childhood, marriage, refusal to admit she was white, and creation of an all-black church in Harlem, and shares details of his own life and the challenges he faced coping with his family's secrets.

James McBride chronicles his twelve-year journey to learn about his mother's past, describing her unhappy childhood, marriage, refusal to admit she was white, and creation of an all-black church in Harlem, and shares details of his own life and the challenges he faced coping with his family's secrets.

An African-American male tells of his mother, a white woman, who refused to admit her true identity.

An African-American male tells of his mother, a white woman, who refused to admit her true identity.

James McBride shares the story of his mother's life and complicated racial identity which he only learned after becoming an adult. He tells of her infancy in Poland as the daughter of an Orthodox Jewish rabbi, her childhood in small-town Virginia, her move to Harlem at the age of eighteen, her marriage to an African-American man, her achievements as a wife and mother to twelve children, and her refusal to ever admit she is white.