Something about the way Langston Hughes writes that compels to follow where he leads.. Something about the way he utilizes silence to enhance the overall atmosphere. 

Not Without a Laughter is a solemn train ride back home after a long-planned holiday in your hometown had ended. It moves slowly, it feels quiet and full at the same time. Like Sandy, I find myself pondering about life while staring beyond the window, after finishing this book. We live in better times, and yet, still grappling with the same struggle in breaking norms and traditions that no longer serve best for human potential. 

Hughes has a deep understanding of human nature. His writing, exceptional. This novel does an excellent job of integrating a variety of important and challenging topics into the characters' interactions. There’s just an elegance about the way he carefully build the characters in this book. Everyone is given the opportunity to be a whole person of their own; they have positive qualities and weaknesses; they make mistakes and do things right; nobody here is one-dimensional. Even Sandy being a rather quiet character that he is, we still get an expanded view of his thought process, and attitude.

Reading this feels like I'm looking at this fictional community through Hughes' own eyes, seeing the people around him for whom he cares and loves. He knows how to make the ache cut deep by handling the story's details so carefully and precisely. I like how this story highlights the ordinary people and the harsh society they live in where they find themselves dealing with difficult choices. The mundanity of hardship, that feels very close to my heart.

I've learned a lot about black people's struggles and injustices during a time when racial segregation was the the norm from this book. The nuanced discussion of how black people were discriminated against, as well as the role of religion, society, and gender roles, was written remarkably. This book, I believe, will stay with me for quite a while.