Not Without Laughter is the debut novel by Langston Hughes published in 1930.

Not Without Laughter portrays African-American life in Kansas in the 1910s, focusing on the effects of class and religion on the community.

[1] The main storyline focuses on Sandy's "awakening to the sad and the beautiful realities of black life in a small Kansas town.

"[2] Hughes said that Not Without Laughter is semi-autobiographical, and that a good portion of the characters and setting included in the novel are based on his memories of growing up in Lawrence, Kansas: "I wanted to write about a typical Negro family in the Middle West, about people like those I had known in Kansas.

"[3] A review in the New York Times on August 3, 1930 stated: " "Not Without Laughter" is very slow, even tedious, reading in its early chapters, but once it gains its momentum it moves as swiftly as a jazz rhythm.