James's childhood was spent in a chaotic household of 12 children who had neither the time nor the outlet to ponder questions of race and identity.

Born Ruchel Zylska to an Orthodox Jewish family in Poland, Ruth arrived in the United States when she was two years old.

[2] She spent her early childhood traveling around the country with her family as her father, Fishel Shilsky, sought employment as a rabbi.

Shilsky eventually gave up hope of making a living as a rabbi, settled the family in Suffolk, Virginia, and opened a store in the mostly black section of town, where he overcharged his customers and expressed racist opinions.

When Ruth was a child, her father sexually abused her and made harsh demands on her to work constantly in the family store.

Ruth's family disowned her when she left, disgusted with her choice of marrying a black man rather than a Jew, her general failure to embrace Judaism, and the defiance of her father.

While the couple experienced a certain degree of prejudice as a result of their interracial marriage, Ruth recalls these years of her life as her happiest ones.

[2] James spoke of the Civil Rights Movement which foreshadowed his decision to lean towards the African-American side of his biracial identity.