{"product_id":"not-without-laughter-9781454964797","title":"Not Without Laughter","description":"\u003cb\u003eLangston Hughes's debut novel, a moving portrait of African American family life in 1930s Kansas, newly reissued for Union Square \u0026amp; Co.'s Herald Classics line.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Originally published in 1930, \u003ci\u003eNot Without Laughter\u003c\/i\u003e 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. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Partly inspired by Langston Hughes's early life in the Midwest, \u003ci\u003eNot Without Laughter\u003c\/i\u003e 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. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLangston Hughes \u003c\/b\u003e(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. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Union Square \u0026 Co.","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52000298533138,"sku":"9781454964797","price":10.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_40001e67-394e-42d6-b1d4-abc45985a657.jpg?v=1770193695","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/not-without-laughter-9781454964797","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}