The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother by James McBride is a celebrated memoir (often found in paperback, e.g., Riverhead Books, ISBN 9781594481925) alternating between the author’s coming-of-age as one of 12 biracial children in Brooklyn and his mother Ruth’s life as a Jewish Polish immigrant who married a Black minister. It explores themes of race, faith, and identity.