James McBride at a Glance

Full Name: James McBride

Pronunciation: JAYMZ muhk-BRYD

Born: September 11, 1957

Nationality: United States

Education:

• Oberlin Conservatory of Music (Composition and Jazz)
• Columbia University (MA in Journalism)

Genres:

• Memoir
• Nonfiction
• Historical fiction

Biography & Background

James McBride Biography

Born to a white Jewish mother from Poland and a Black father who worked as a Baptist pastor, James McBride is a native New Yorker who has built a distinguished career as an author, screenwriter, and musician. His childhood was spent primarily in Brooklyn, and after studying musical composition and jazz at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, he earned a master’s degree in journalism. He then worked at The News Journal and later became a staff writer for publications like The Washington Post, People, and Rolling Stone. In 1996, McBride burst onto the writing scene with a groundbreaking personal memoir: The Color of Water: A Black Man’s Tribute to His White Mother, which blends discussion of his own upbringing with that of his mother. While he is primarily celebrated for his writing, he has also achieved success as a musician, playing saxophone and touring alongside jazz legend Jimmy Scott.

In 2002, McBride published his debut work of fiction, Miracle of St. Anna, which director Spike Lee adapted for the screen six years later.