The Color of Water - Themes

I just finished reading the book The Color of Water, by James McBride.  It has to be one of the most insightful books I have ever read.  It tells of a black boy's journey through a rough life, growing up in a housing project of New York City.  He has 11 brothers and sisters, who are all crammed under the same roof.  This might seem relatively normal, but his single mother is white.  And underneath James' story is the one of his mother, who grew up in an Orthodox Jewish household, but married a black man.  The book tells of many lessons learned where James must deal with the nagging question of race and identity.

Arguably one of the most important themes in the book is that the color of you skin is irrelevant compared to your ability and intellect.  This theme is expressed many times throughout the book by James's mother.  One quote that depicts this theme is, “I asked her if I was black or white.  She replied   You are a human being.  Educate yourself or you'll be a nobody!”  This quote is said by James's mother.  There are many times throughout his life that James questions his background and race.  From an early age he can tell that his mommy doesn't look the same from all of the other mommies.  When asked about his ancestry, his mother would always reply bluntly, trying to wrench herself out of the conversation as soon as she could.  Another piece of textual evidence is, “God is the color of water. Water doesn't have a color.”  This quote is also told by James' mother.  It is the title of the book, as well as the underlying theme.  Have you ever had to deal wilth a similar situation where race was a problem?