First published 1996, 1998 reprint. James McBride grew up one of twelve siblings in the all-black housing projects of Red Hook, Brooklyn, the son of a black minister and a woman who wouldn't admit she was white. The object of McBride's constant embarrassment and continuous fear for her safety, his mother was an inspiring figure, who through sheer force of will, saw her dozen children through college, and many through graduate school. He was an adult before he discovered his mother was the daughter of a failed itinerant Orthodox rabbi in rural Virginia. She had run away to Harlem, married a black man, and founded an all-black Baptist church in her living room in Red Hook. A portrait of growing up, a meditation on race and identity, and a hymn from a son to his mother.

Published: 1997

No. pages: 291

ISBN: 9780733605758

Condition: GOOD - softcover - 350g