James McBride (writer)
| James McBride | |
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James McBride at the 2013 Texas Book Festival.
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| Born |
September 11, 1957 New York City, US |
| Occupation | Journalist; musician |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Oberlin College |
| Genre | Memoir; screenplay |
| Notable works | The Good Lord Bird. (National Book Award, 2013) |
| Relatives | 11 siblings |
| Website | |
| jamesmcbride |
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James McBride (born September 11, 1957) is an American writer and musician. He is the recipient of the 2013 National Book Award for fiction for his novel The Good Lord Bird.
McBride's father, Rev. Andrew D. McBride (August 8, 1911 – April 5, 1957) was African-American; he died of cancer at the age of 45. His mother, Ruchel Dwajra Zylska (name later changed to Rachel Deborah Shilsky, and later changed again to Ruth McBride Jordan; April 1, 1921 – January 9, 2010), was a Jewish immigrant from Poland. James was raised in Brooklyn's Red Hook housing projects and was the last child Ruth had from her first marriage, the last child of Rev. Andrew McBride, and the eighth of 12 children.
McBride states:
I'm proud of my Jewish history....Technically I guess you could say I'm Jewish since my mother was Jewish...but she converted (to Christianity). So the question is for theologians to answer. ... I just get up in the morning happy to be living."
His memoir, The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother (1995), describes his family history and his relationship with his mother.
Two of his older brothers, Dennis and Billy, graduated with doctorates in medicine, but that did not appeal to James McBride. He earned an undergraduate degree in music composition from Oberlin College in 1979, after which he earned a master's degree in journalism from Columbia University.
As a journalist, McBride worked on the staffs of many well-known publications, including The Boston Globe, The Washington Post, the Wilmington News Journal, and People magazine. Additionally, he has written pieces for Rolling Stone magazine, Us magazine, the Chicago Tribune, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Essence magazine, The New York Times, and others. McBride is a charter member of the Clint Harding Network, a group of well-known journalists, writers, and musicians who periodically have appeared live on a Missouri radio program for the last two decades.
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Wikipedia