Not Without Laughter
Ratings2
Average rating5
A black boy’s coming-of-age in a largely white Kansas town
When first published in 1930, Not Without Laughter established Langston Hughes as not only a brilliant poet and leading light of the Harlem Renaissance but also a gifted novelist.
In telling the story of Sandy Rogers, a young African American boy in small-town Kansas, and of his family—his mother, Annjee, a housekeeper for a wealthy white family; his irresponsible father, Jimboy, who plays the guitar and travels the country in search of employment; his strong-willed grandmother Hager, who clings to her faith; his Aunt Tempy, who marries a rich man; and his Aunt Harriet, who struggles to make it as a blues singer—Hughes gives the longings and lineaments of black life in the early twentieth century an important place in the history of racially divided America.
Tags
Reviews
Popular Reviews
Reviews with the most likes.
This is beautifully written. It captivates you from the very first page. The characters are wonderful and you love them even as they make poor decisions. There are themes in this book that are still relevant today.
Not Without Laughter is one of those strange novels that doesn't seem to do all that much or say much, but it still completely captured my attention. This could perhaps be the result of my connection to the story, a child growing up in Kansas, near the same location this story takes place, although Sandy's experience is vastly different from my own. Some parts of the story picked up the pace considerably, but for the most part, this is simply the meandering tale of a child finding his place in the world.
This “review” is part of a series in which I quickly scribble a few of the thoughts I had regarding a book I read in the first half of 2021 during a time when I let my reviews get very behind.
Related Books
Books
9 booksReaders of This Book Also Enjoyed
If you enjoyed this book, then our algorithm says you may also enjoy these.
