McBride's novel about a WWII-era Italian war orphan who befriends a Negro soldier was developed into a major motion picture, directed by Spike Lee. McBride also wrote the script for the film.

"A powerful and emotional novel." - Publishers Weekly

"Told with humor and clear-eyed grace." - The Nation

"Excellent on the unusual social nuances of the backwater that was the antebellum Eastern Shore [of Maryland]." - The New York Times

"Combines the mythology of an August Wilson script with the topsy-turvy world of Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream." - The Christian Science Monitor

The story of James McBride and his white, Jewish mother Ruth, "The Color of Water" has sold more than 2.1 million copies worldwide, and been translated into 16 languages.

A CD that is part of McBride's forthcoming documentary about the lives and struggles of ordinary jazz musicians.