I Never Called Him Pa by Diane Kane, is a coming-of-age novel set in the 1950s that captures the heart of rural America through the voice of Henry, a young boy growing up on a farm near the railroad tracks in Northern Illinois without a father. The story evokes laughter and tears in equal measure. After WWII men were sent home on trains. Some never got off. They rode the rails searching for their souls lost to the toils of society or the ravages of war. One such man of color ailing from the his harsh life seeks refuge with a weary widow, her wayward daughter, and fatherless grandson. They are all searching for something while bearing the burden of sins and secrets. The ghosts of their pasts drive them apart and bind them together. While Ernest leaves a mark deeper than ever imagined. Take a journey you will never forget in I Never Called Him Pa , by Diane Kane.