|
Rating:  - Will bore you to death
Langston Hughes is definitely a better poet than he is a novelist. I found this book to be lack luster and boring. Although you may like a character or two...in general the characters were not developed nor were they intriguing. His wording lacked the rapture that we are accustomed to him delivering.
Rating:  - Laughter and Living
Despite his considerable output of poetry, short stories and autobiographical work, this is Langston Hughes' only novel. It is the tremendously crafted story of Sandy, a black child of the 1920s in rural Kansas. In poignant tightly written chapters, Hughes' depicts various events in Sandy's life often slipping into the perspective of those closest to him. Sandy lives most his life with his strong-willed and deeply religious grandmother Aunt Hager. She is a benevolent woman who desires peaceful racial relations despite the overwhelming amount of racism and discrimination professed by both white and black community members. Sandy's mother Annjee is a loving and hard working woman eternally devoted to her husband Jimboy who is a good hearted man constantly on the move. Sandy's aunt Tempy is a well-off woman trying to immerse herself in white society and denigrating her own race in the process. His other aunt Harriett is a wilful woman who turns from the church for a different kind of existence. Through these expertly drawn characters, Sandy views their examples and he must make the choices that will effect his future. The novel is a tremendous chronicle of the struggle of a family to survive financially. It gives accounts of the psychological dilemma created by growing in a racially divided society and the diffuse joy in life that can be found even in troubling circumstances.
Maya Angelou wrote of Not Without Laughter: "This book was written when preachers had to be poets and poets were preachers, because they needed to be available to all the people all the time." The messages this novel gives are not subtle. But, through its varied perspectives and eloquently written prose, it envelops the issues it preaches with emotionally edifying ideas. It leaves the reader with a feeling of deep connection to all the characters, particularly the beautiful Sandy in whom we invest our hope and trust to fulfil his potential to become a good, intelligent and strong man who does not feel limited by his racial heritage despite any restrictions society may attempt to place for him. Although it may be a shame that Hughes never wrote another novel as he aptly demonstrated his skill in this one, Not Without Laughter stands as shining work be a skilled artist.
Rating: - I Loved this book!!
It shed new light for me and allowed me a glimpse into a world I previously had no understanding of. How life was or may have been, from the eyes of a brown skinned child in 1930s. The beauty & strength of African American history shines brightly in this book. A must read!
Rating: - One of a Kind
I had to read a book for a book report due in a week. I was beginning to feel hopeless before I stumbled onto this in the library. Langston Hughes is an amazing Writer and poet. This was the first of his novels that I have read and I think it couldn't have been more perfect. This book is so rich in its characters and Hughes shows no mercy in telling of the bittersweet culture that engulfs the world of Sandy and his family. After reading this book, the beauty of this people was more evident than ever before. With words that are lovely and flowing and thoughts that are deep and abundant, Hughes is a person whom I wish was still with us.
Rating:  - A good book
I really liked this book. The characters were intersting and the relationship Sandy had with his grandmother made me think of my grandmother. The book would be good for young people to give them a idea of what black life was like back in the 20's and 30's.
|
