James McBride – Renaissance Man
James McBride talks about his work as an author, songwriter and the new film “The Miracle at St. Anna”
2008-09-26
By Gil Robertson IV

Author James McBride started his career as a staff journalist at venerable publications like The Boston Globe and The Washington Post. In 1996, McBride switched gears via his memoir “The Color of Water,” which spent the next two years on the New York Times bestseller list. His 2003 novel “Miracle at St. Anna” was the basis for the just-released Spike Lee joynt of the same name. Widely considered a major creative force in American storytelling, McBride currently holds a position as a Distinguished Writer-in-Residence at New York University. EbonyJet.com recently caught up with him to talk creative forces.

A great deal of your work as an author stems from your personal history. Why are those stories important to you?
Most artists have to draw from life experience.   These stories are important because the people in my past are important. The heroes in my life, when I was a kid, were working people who dreamed of a better life. I can’t think of a better place to draw from.

The retelling of history is again at the center of your book, “Miracle at St. Anna,” which has now been made into a movie. What motivated you to want to tell this story?
My uncle was a veteran of WW II and used to tell us stories about it when I was a kid. I was a little kid and thought his stories were boring.  Only later, after I became an adult and author, did I realize the gift of history my relatives were trying to give me. Remember that in my generation in NYC -- I’m 51 -- most of our parents came from the south. But their stories of Jim Crow life were something we tried to ignore. Only when I went to college at Oberlin, did I realize how unique my upbringing was. When I became a writer, I became interested in the stories and investigated the role of the black GI in WW II. That’s how I discovered the 92n Division.

I hope that people understand that the 1.1 million blacks who served in WW II are an inspiration which has been ignored for almost 60 years. Spike had to go to Europe initially to get the money for this film. Black history is important to everyone, and it should be paramount in any African American household. You can’t raise your children to be proud of their history by giving them the potato chip and cake icing of BET and MTV. That’s surface stuff. The 92nd Division should be part of the lore of American mythology of WW II.

Did you have to compromise anything from your original work to accommodate the filmmaking process?
It was hard work writing the screenplay. Spike Lee is very demanding, very smart. He demands excellence from himself and those around him. I enjoyed the challenge. Some characters had to be abbreviated, and a few things changed, but essentially Spike stuck very close to the book. In fact, there were times when I would deviate and he would go back to the book and use it as a reference. The aim was to get this historical story out the gate, because the story tells itself, not only about African Americans, but about Italians and Italy during the second world war as well.

What inspires you to do what you do as an artist?
I want to go to Heaven. This is my small contribution towards making the world a better place. I think essentially all people are the same, and that we as humans have to focus on our commonalities, rather than our differences. God sees no difference, why should we?

As an author, journalist, musician, songwriter, professor and family man, you have a lot on your plate. How do you stay motivated and keep balance?
I put my family first. After all is said and done, you still have to go home and make a tuna fish sandwich, and wash the dishes when you’re done. I’m trying to get better. Every art form, at some point, is about storytelling, so then it’s all about the practice and the discipline. Also, I need the money. What better motivation can there be?

Gil Robertson IV is an A&E journalist and bestselling author. His work covering the entertainment industry has appeared in numerous publications that include the LA Times, the Atlanta Journal Constitution and Black Enterprise magazine.