NOSE IN A BOOK club

The Color of Water touches readers of all colors as a vivid portrait of growing up, a haunting meditation on race and identity, and a lyrical valentine to a mother from her son. (From the book jacket.)

The New York Times Book Review
The two stories, son’s and mother’s, beautifully juxtaposed, strike a graceful note.
The Boston Globe
Superbly written…a moving and exciting story that totally satisfies.
The Washington Post Book World
Lively…a well-written, thoughtful contribution to the literature on race.

Let us know what YOU think!

There is a saying among Southern blacks that goes like this: White folks up North don’t care how high you get as long as you don’t get too close; white folks down South don’t care how close you get as long as you don’t get too high. In “Slaves in the Family,” Edward Ball reveals just how intimate the relationship between Southern whites and blacks can get. In this epic family history, he shows how the “peculiar institution” of the past has linked the progeny of slaves and slave holders through time and blood and memory.  [www.salon.com; by Maryanne Volers]