Color of Water/ The Secret Life of Bees, comparisons

Recently in English we have been reading The Color of Water by James McBride. This book closely relates to our past novel we have read, The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd. These two books relate because they both reflect off one main point. In both of these stories, the main characters are in search on some insight on their past, and on their self. In The Secret Life of Bees, the main character Lily tries so hard to find out information regarding her past life. One thing that Lily strives to find out about is her mother, and about her past life also. Lily Owens goes on a journey to discover secrets about her mothers past life that  hidden from her by her father. This novel can relate to The Color of Water also. The Color of Water is set up to be read from two peoples points of views. One chapter is narrated by James, and the next by his mother. The narration of each chapter has a significance, and that is to show the resemblance in life that James and his mother have. While growing up, James mother had encountered a great amount of interesting things in her life, and James is starting to realize that he too is going through the same types of interactions as his mother had in the past. Another way these two stories can relate is that they both involve examples of racism. In The Secret Life of Bees, Rosaleen the African American step in mother of Lily, is harassed and discriminated against for being a colored woman. While living in the south it is very expected to be discriminated against for the color of your skin, and for being colored in a white society. On the other hand in the story The Color of Water, James' mother Ruth, is harassed and discriminated against for being one of the only white women in her community. She is a white Jewish woman who was married to a black man, and who had given birth to colored children as well. Even though these two pieces don't related directly with the theme of racism, they still connect and many similarities are presented in the reading. 

This can relate to my own life because sometimes i wonder about my past and about how things have changed since then. This doesn't relate directly to the themes of these two stories but it somewhat can connect. I sometimes think about  my parents past, and sometimes i get the urge to search for information on the subject. One time i had been looking through my mothers yearbook and had wondered about her past and how her life was different than mine is now. I had gone into our basement and looked through a bunch of old pictures and had found many of my mother and my father when they were both around my age. By finding these pictures i had gained some insight on their past, and how their lives were much different than they would have been in present time.