Craft Of WritingThe craft of writng in this memoir was very descriptive. The metaphors, similies and imagery were so clear that you can imagine what he's talking about. You can know a story is great by how you feel about it. If it makes you feel like you are a part of the story then it is great. Don't you think so? I like to feel like I am right there as the story is taking place. By feeling like I am a part of the story I can understand what is going on much better. The imagery that really got to me was when Ruth was a little girl and she went with her father to the Jaffe's slaughterhouse, "The cow would shudder violently and blood would spurt down his neck and through his nose into a drain in the cement floor and he'd die. The butchers would then set upon him and slit his stomach and yank out his intestines, heart, liver, and innards."(pg.80) I can actually picture how Ruth's father, Fishel Shilsky, was. The descriptions were so vivid. Another quote that affected me was,"I never starved for food till I got married. I was starving for love and affection. I didn't get none of that."(pg.83)I felt sorry for Ruth because all a child wanted was some love and attention. She didn't even felt that way with her own family. I think that your family should always be there for you no matter what the issue is. Her father was really mean to her. He sexually abused her when she was younger so I can see why she despised him so much. She finally felt the love that she was looking for when she married James' father. "Every year the mighty bureaucratic dinosaur known as the New York City Public school system would belch forth a tiny diamond: they slipped a little notice to parents giving them the opportunity to have their kids bused to different school districts if they wanted...."(pg.88) Ruth would just wait for the opportunity to enable her children to go to the best schools that she can find. This piece of descriptive writing is one of many others that can be found in this memoir. With writing like this its no surprise to me why this was a New York Times bestseller. "Being mixed is like that tingling feeling you have in your nose just before you sneeze-you're waiting for it to happen but it never does."(pg.262) I can understand what James is trying to say.He may look and feel Black but their is still a part of him that is Jewish. He had to come to a middle ground and accept the fact that he is different and is mixed with two worlds. This was a great memoir by James McBride.I felt like I was a part of his story.I would recommend this book to anyone whose intrigue with fantastic writing.The quotes that I picked were the ones that appeal to me but their are a lot more descriptive imagery, similies, and metaphors that can be found throughout this book.
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