Who was Ruth McBride Jordan? Not even her son knew the answer to that question until he embarked on a twelve-year journey that changed himself and his family forever. Born Rachel Deborah Shilsky, she began life as the daughter of an angry, failed orthodox Jewish rabbi in the South. To escape her unhappy childhood, Ruth ran away to Harlem, married a black man, became Baptist and started an all-black church. Her son James tells of growing up with inner confusions, chaos, and financial hardships; of his own flirtation with drugs and violence; of the love and faith his mother gave her twelve children; and of his belated coming to terms with her Jewish heritage. The result is a powerful portrait of growing up, a meditation on race and identity, and a poignant, beautifully crafted hymn from a son to his mother.
- Read a Classic You Missed...
- Scifi Absolute Classics
- Contemporary Romantic Comedy
- If you like Danielle Steel, try these!
- If you like John Grisham
- Michael Connelly alike ebooks
- Fairy Tale, Myth, and The Hero's Journey
- New eBook additions
- Always Available Classics
- Invention, Innovation, and Inquisitiveness
- National Book Award Longlist ebooks
- And the Prize Goes to....
- Graphic Novels - they're not just for teens and children
- See all
- Full-cast recordings
- Get Your True Crime Fix
- Find and Listen to a Classic That You Missed...
- Read by a Celeb
- Listen to a New Series
- If you like Danielle Steel, Try These!
- Michael Connelly alike audiobooks
- If you like Stephen King...
- Fantasy here!
- New Audiobook Additions
- Audio available now
- Audiobooks with Great Narration
- Top Audiobook Narrators
- See all