Not Without Laughter

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Langston Hughes's debut novel, a moving portrait of African American family life in 1930s Kansas, newly reissued for Union Square & Co.'s Herald Classics line. With an introduction by poet Jasmine Mans. Originally published in 1930, Not Without Laughter follows Sandy Rogers as a boy living in rural Kansas to his arrival in Chicago as a young man, set against a backdrop of poverty, racial segregation, and the onset of World War I. Orbiting Sandy are a host of vividly realized family members, including his mother Annjee, a housekeeper for a wealthy white family; his irresponsible father Jimboy, who plays guitar and is constantly in search of work; his aunts, blues-singing Aunt Harriet and social-climbing Aunt Tempy; and his pious, strong-willed grandmother Hager, who holds the generations together. Partly inspired by Langston Hughes's early life in the Midwest, Not Without Laughter is the debut novel of the literary giant, a sweeping and elegiac family drama that traces Black life in the early twentieth century, an important setting in the history of a racially divided America. Langston Hughes (1902-1967) was born in Joplin, Missouri, and grew up in Kansas before moving to Harlem in New York City. Hughes is a leading figure of the Harlem Renaissance and one of the most influential writers of the twentieth century. In his lifetime, Hughes published over thirty-five works, including poetry, novels, short stories, an autobiography, musicals, essays, and plays. Publisher: Union Square & Co. Publish Date: February 3, 2026 Pages: 272 Language: English Type: Paperback EAN/UPC: 9781454964797 Dimensions: 8.3 X 5.4 X 0.6 inches BISAC Categories: Popular Fiction Show more