After students filed into Ball State University's Emens Auditorium on Tuesday author James McBride captivated an audience of hundreds with stories about his life as a musician and writer.
McBride, who wrote "The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother," also spoke and answered questions about topics such as race and politics, including his criticisms of Rudy Giuliani in which he said "Big Bird could have been mayor of New York."
McBride said college students need to learn how to fail in order to have a complete education.
"You're here to learn how to fail because you're already good enough to be [in college]," he said. "You came here to learn how to think."
The author said he sees reflections of himself in the students and advised them to not aim low and study abroad.
"You people don't realize how special you are," he said. "We need you to fan out across the world. The world you see through the filters of television is not the real world."
Students should venture out of their comfort zone and live a fulfilling life by seeking the truth, McBride said.
"The questions of 'Who am I?' will plague you for the rest of your life," he said.
McBride's novel chronicles his youth while living in a multi-racial family with twelve siblings. All while trying to find his identity through learning more about his Jewish mother.
Freshman anthropology major Roshele Jackson said she could relate to the book because of the commonalities she shared with the author.
"I'm half black and half white, and it's hard to relate to the black and white race at the same time," Jackson said.
She also said McBride was an influential speaker.
"I would have liked to learn more," she said. " Everything he said was very eye opening."
Freshman special education major Stephanie Brewer said she enjoyed the book and McBride's presentation.
"I thought he did a good job," she said, "and when people asked questions, he answered them thoroughly."
Brewer said she agreed with McBride's sentiment about doing what someone loves because she plans on teaching, which is what she loves.
Earlier in the day, McBride answered faculty and students' questions in the Student Center's forum room. He discussed topics such as the improvisation of jazz and how it compares to writing fiction.
"How that conflict implodes, that's were the jazz begins," he said. "You're following [the character] and that's the improvisation."
McBride said although he wasn't an expert on race, today's racial questions bother him.
"When I was in college I was asking the same questions and got the same answers," he said. "Civil rights wasn't only about black people, but also about white people on the job."
Melinda Messineo, the book selection committee chair, said having the author present adds to the students' experiences.
"We hear comments from students; they talk about how much it means to them to actually meet the author," she said. "It puts a real person behind the words they read."
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