James McBride Speaks at CCBC

James McBride, author of The Color of Water was generous of his time as he spoke at the Essex campus of CCBC. His book, The Color of Water, is a recollection of growing-up experiences. Moreover, his message was powerful. There really are no such things as failures-the experiences we view as failures are on lessons to bring us to a higher level. The lessons are all about our attitudes towards them, how we rise above the seemingly defeats and learn... He encouraged students to stay in school, to learn as much as we can in college and that a college education is a valuable asset. He spoke of the value of being informed and of staying constantly current about what is occurring in the world on a daily basis. One way of doing this is by reading the newspaper on a daily basis. Read the newspaper daily for six months and see how your life becomes changed in pa positive way. Mr McBride is also a saxophonist and an alumni of Oberlin College. A book signing followed the lecture.

Mary Bogdan Hauf