Not Without Laughter

by Langston Hughes Narrated by Jaime Lincoln Smith

Overview

Not Without Laughter is drawn in part from the author's own recollections of youth and early manhood. This stirring coming-of-age tale unfolds in 1930s rural Kansas. A poignant portrait of African-American family life in the early twentieth century, it follows the story of young Sandy Rogers as he grows from a boy to a man. We meet Sandy's mother, Annjee, who works as a housekeeper for a wealthy white family; his strong-willed grandmother, Hager; Jimboy, Sandy's father, who travels the country looking for work; Aunt Tempy, the social climber; and Aunt Harriet, the blues singer who has turned away from her faith.



A fascinating chronicle of a family's joys and hardships, Not Without Laughter is a vivid exploration of growing up and growing strong in a racially divided society. A rich and important work, it masterfully echoes the black American experience.

Editorial Reviews

NOVEMBER 2022 - AudioFile

This classic depiction of Black family life in Kansas in the 1930s is narrated with grace and skill by Jaime Lincoln Smith. The work brings the struggles and challenges of early-twentieth-century Black American experience to life, complete with Hughes’s skillful use of dialect and prose. Smith deftly switches into period diction and local accents, voicing each family member so that discerning the flow of dialogue is easy and meaningful. Listeners follow young Sandy Rogers as he comes of age and witnesses his family’s encounters with a racially divided America. The audiobook provides an outstanding rendition of an important Harlem Renaissance novel. C.F. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine

From the Publisher

A lyrical, charming and moving story of a black Midwestern boy.” —Arnold Rampersad

“An eye-opening portrait of the artist as a young black man in the Midwest.” —A. Scott Berg, The New York Times Book Review

AudioFile

The audiobook provides an outstanding rendition of an important Harlem Renaissance novel.

NOVEMBER 2022 - AudioFile

This classic depiction of Black family life in Kansas in the 1930s is narrated with grace and skill by Jaime Lincoln Smith. The work brings the struggles and challenges of early-twentieth-century Black American experience to life, complete with Hughes’s skillful use of dialect and prose. Smith deftly switches into period diction and local accents, voicing each family member so that discerning the flow of dialogue is easy and meaningful. Listeners follow young Sandy Rogers as he comes of age and witnesses his family’s encounters with a racially divided America. The audiobook provides an outstanding rendition of an important Harlem Renaissance novel. C.F. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine

Product Details

BN ID:	2940174878334
Publisher:	Tantor Audio
Publication date:	08/30/2022
Edition description:	Unabridged

Read an Excerpt

I.
(Continues…)

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Excerpted from "Not Without Laughter"
by .
Copyright © 2018 Langston Hughes.
Excerpted by permission of Penguin Publishing Group.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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