The Cure Was Right: Boys Don't Cry (But Should)

By Tony Hicks

Seventeen-year-old Jonah is drowning in silence after the sudden death of his emotionally distant father. In a world that tells boys to "man up" and never show weakness, Jonah buries his grief beneath sarcasm and withdrawal, pushing away friends, teachers, and even his mother. When he's forced into a school grief group for teens, he has no intention of participating-until he meets Kai, a kind, emotionally open musician who challenges everything Jonah thinks he knows about masculinity, vulnerability, and healing.

As their friendship deepens, Jonah begins to confront the damage caused by the unwritten rules of manhood he's grown up with-rules that equate tears with weakness and emotional expression with shame. Through therapy sessions, late-night songwriting, panic attacks, and quiet revelations, Jonah and Kai learn to navigate their grief not by suppressing it but by facing it head-on. Alongside a circle of other grieving teens, Jonah begins to write letters he never sends, cry in places he used to hide, and discover strength in softness rather than stoicism.

The Cure Was Right is a powerful, character-driven coming-of-age story that unpacks toxic masculinity, emotional repression, and the complicated layers of father-son relationships. It's about boys who break and boys who rebuild. It's about learning that staying is sometimes braver than running, and that healing doesn't mean forgetting-it means remembering differently. Most of all, it's a story about finding your voice after being told for too long to stay silent.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0FV8ZBW5L
• ISBN13: 9798268885125
• Release Date: October 2025
• Publisher: Independently Published
• Length: 122 Pages
• Weight: 0.33 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 5.5" x 8.5"