The story of Sim Webb is about a real person but told in an interesting way making it historical fiction. The story is a great example of multiculturalism and its connection to African American culture. In the back of the book it even describes it best when it says “It was a great accomplishment in 1895 for a black man to advance as far as fireman. A fireman was second only to the engineer and was qualified to run the train on his own if it became necessary.” The story even has a sense of tall tale mixed in with it, when describing the man that gave the whistle, the whistle itself, and how it was Gabriel’s trumpet. ( )