When The Tear Won’t Fall

"Through the prism of a Black man's tears that refuse to fall, Kenneth Braswell deciphers a cryptic code of masculinity in 'When the Tear Won't Fall.' This poignant memoir traverses the labyrinth of the author's life, growing up in the urban streets of Brooklyn in the 1970s, entwined with the captivating tales of larger-than-life figures, from the sports arena to the silver screen. While these men cast long shadows of strength, dominance, and invulnerability, they also create a distorted reflection where emotion is silenced, tears are repressed, and vulnerability is cloaked.

Against this tableau, Braswell brings to life characters from television, such as James Evans of 'Good Times,' who introduces young Kenneth and his contemporaries to a different kind of manhood—one that acknowledges struggle, embraces responsibility, and is tied inextricably to fatherhood. Yet, when this beacon of paternal strength is extinguished, it leaves a vacuum filled with a silent sorrow—the unshed tear of manhood.

With 'When the Tear Won't Fall,' Braswell plumbs the depths of his own experiences, personal epiphanies, and the intimate struggles of manhood and fatherhood. He questions societal norms and challenges the intergenerational cycles of fatherlessness, providing a voice to the countless men caught in the limbo of silent suffering.

In this tapestry woven from reflections and memories, Braswell offers a bold confession: REAL MEN do cry. And in understanding what transpires in the mind of a man when the tear won't fall, we find a path toward a new definition of masculinity—one that is nurturing, empathetic, and fully human.

'When the Tear Won't Fall' is more than an autobiography; it is an exploration of the hidden corners of manhood, a philosophical quest into the nature of identity, and an earnest appeal for a deeper, more compassionate understanding of the human experience."