Not Without Laughter' (1930) is based on the author's own childhood and early manhood memories.

This moving coming-of-age story takes place in rural Kansas in the 1930s.

It chronicles the narrative of little Sandy Rogers as he grows from a boy to a man, and it is a moving depiction of African-American family life in the early twentieth century.

Sandy's mother, Annjee, works as a housekeeper for an affluent white family; his strong-willed grandmother, Hager; Sandy's father, Jimboy, who traverses the country looking for work; Aunt Tempy, the social climber; and Aunt Harriet, the blues singer who has abandoned her faith are all introduced. 'Not Without Laughter,' a vivid examination of growing up and getting strong, is a fascinating account of a family's joys and sorrows.