Historical Fiction Genre In Jim Cole's Never Cry Again

The novel Never Cry Again by Jim Cole is written in the historical fiction genre. The protagonist, Drew (Andrew George Simmons), has had a rough life since birth and his struggles seem to worsen with time. Drew's life starts in a brothel where he is cared for by Maude, the brothel's maid, and by the congregation at a nearby church. Even though it was rare for this time period, the all African American congregation at Ebenezer Church of God in Jesus Christ accepted caucasion Drew. Although loved by many, his mother, Edith, resents that he was born and genuinely hates him. However, Drew tries his hardest to find a speck of kindness and love in his mother.. After Edith and five year old Drew move away from the brothel, his life gets much more complicated as well as lonely. In the new city, he is picked on for being so poor and for all the “Uncles” that visit his mom. Drew is unloved, unwanted, and …show more content…
He did a superb job creating, formatting, and editing Never Cry Again. Although averagely long book, two hundred and ninety pages, I did not find one spelling or grammatical error. Also, the author writes the book in chronological order and the chapters are titled to easily follow the timeline. However, my favorite aspect of the book is the character development. I felt Drew's pain, heartache, love, and happiness. Although, this novel does contain an abundance of characters, the author incorporates them so well that they leave a mark and you do not forget them. My favorite relationship was between Drew and his best friend, Leon. Drew is an outcast because he is so poor and his mom is the town hooker and Leon is degraded simply because of the color of his skin. However, Drew and Leon look past each others differences and choose to love one another. This creates a beautiful friendship. Also, Cole sets the backdrop perfectly. World War II and the Depression are mingled with the story just enough to keep the reader thinking about