4.0
Not Without Laughter
ByPublisher Description
First published in 1930, “Not Without Laughter” is the debut novel by Langston Hughes and a deeply personal, semi-autobiographical tale of an African-American family in rural Kansas. Langston Hughes, born in 1902 in Joplin, Missouri, spent much of his youth in Lawrence, Kansas and it is here that he set his first novel. “Not Without Laughter” tells the story of young Sandy Rogers as he grows from a boy to a young man and focuses on his “awakening to the sad and beautiful realities of black life in a small Kansas town”. Sandy clashes with his irresponsible father, Jimboy, and relies on the hard work of his mother Annjelica and his tough grandmother, Aunt Hager, to survive the challenges of poverty and race in early-twentieth century rural America. Sandy’s struggles mirror that of Hughes, who also had a strained and difficult relationship with his often absent father and was mainly raised by his maternal grandmother, a proud and strong woman who installed in Hughes a deep pride in his African-American heritage. “Not Without Laughter” is a powerful and moving portrait of race and poverty in America, as well as an important and inspiring story of hope and perseverance.
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4.0

bookishlyemma
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Stephen Graber
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natalie 🐝
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“Absolutely incredible. Bontemps mentions Hughes' "The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain" in the Foreword, and that essay is such a great thing to read before fully diving into this novel. The title "Not Without Laughter" is also the perfect way to emphasize the theme. What I really loved about this was the characters. One particular trait found in all of them was perhaps one not considered noteworthy: they did not hold grudges. There was still stubbornness, but the nuclear family (maybe with the exception of Tempy?) did not hold anything against one another to the grave. And that was a relief, to avoid such a tedious conflict, and to focus on other more worthwhile ones!
What I loved above all was Hughes' own love of black culture with jazz music and art, and how he demonstrates it in this book. I loved that the essential "hero" is the one who is the "whore" and cabaret performer. And I loved Sandy's inner dialogue, the moments when he's mulling over everything going on in his life, and the realism of coming-of-age, without the message of things being black and white, good or bad.
Conclusion: Hughes will ALWAYS be worth the hype.”
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