Laughing Boy (Signet Classics (Paperback))

Rating:
Summary: My Favorite Book
Review: I thoroughly enjoyed Oliver LaFarge's book, LAUGHING BOY, because the Navajos were portrayed authentically. There are not many books written that do justice to writing about Native American culture so I was pleasantly surprised to find out a non-Native American had written a novel about the Navajos.
The novel presents the story of a young Navajo couple as they start their lives together. They are in a time when things are changing for their people and their way of life. The Navajos are no longer isolated and free from Anglo influences. The "civilizing" of the Navajos has started and Slim Girl has experienced it already when she meets Laughing Boy.
The couple begin their life amidst this change and encounter other obstacles on their road to total happiness. Laughing Boy is a traditional Navajo and has yet to realize the world outside the reservation and this "innocence" could be Slim Girl's salvation. Slim Girl is out of harmony with herself and with her people. The novel does an excellent job conveying that harmony is the ultimate goal for Laughing Boy and especially, Slim Girl.
The novel is similar to Willa Cather's, MY ANTONIA, in that, the readers may have preferred a different outcome for the characters, but what was written is more profound. I completely enjoyed reading LAUGHING BOY and recommend it to readers who may want to experience true Navajo culture and true love combined.

Rating:
Summary: Authentic Navajo Love Story
Review: I thoroughly enjoyed Oliver LaFarge's book, LAUGHING BOY, because the Navajos were portrayed authentically. There are not many books written that do justice to writing about Native American culture so I was pleasantly surprised to find out a non-Native American had written a novel about the Navajos.
The novel presents the story of a young Navajo couple as they start their lives together. They are in a time when things are changing for their people and their way of life. The Navajos are no longer isolated and free from Anglo influences. The "civilizing" of the Navajos has started and Slim Girl has experienced it already when she meets Laughing Boy.
The couple begin their life amidst this change and encounter other obstacles on their road to total happiness. Laughing Boy is a traditional Navajo and has yet to realize the world outside the reservation and this "innocence" could be Slim Girl's salvation. Slim Girl is out of harmony with herself and with her people. The novel does an excellent job conveying that harmony is the ultimate goal for Laughing Boy and especially, Slim Girl.
The novel is similar to Willa Cather's, MY ANTONIA, in that, the readers may have preferred a different outcome for the characters, but what was written is more profound. I completely enjoyed reading LAUGHING BOY and recommend it to readers who may want to experience true Navajo culture and true love combined.

Rating:
Summary: No laughing matter
Review: Laughing Boy does touch on aspects of Native American culture, but what I felt I had read afterwards was just a love story. That's what Laughing Boy is: a story of a man who falls in love with someone outside the tribe's norm and how their happy state together fluctuates ceaselessly. No action. No history. No sense. The book is written in strange matters. Dialogue is hard to decipher for LaFarge obviously has his own rules when it comes to conversation. The storyline is easy to follow, but all the specific details get lost in the complexities of the wording. All in all: a mushy, mediocre plot cryptically written.

Rating:
Summary: It was good
Review: The book was pretty good. I thought it went a little too slow, though. It had a really nice story, and it was easy to read.

Rating:
Summary: A Very Readable Classic
Review: The feeling of living the life of an early 20th century Navajo is felt directly from the begining. La Farge is masterful in relating the sounds,sights, and feelings of his central character Laughing Boy. The risky gamble of racing a tired horse, and the instant attraction of two opposites: Laughing Boy and Slim Girl show that here is man who trusts his heart more than his head at times. It is hard not to like the guy. I wanted to get up and cheer at least twice. The true strength of Laughing Boy is revealed, and passed on to the attentive reader.

Rating:
Summary: When Cultures Collide
Review: This 1930 Pulitzer Prize novel is a heart-rendering look at young lovers brought together at a time when their world is astir with changes of which neither of them can control nor understand. The emerging culture of Slim Girl who has been given a Christian education clashes with the traditional Navajo norms of Laughing Boy. LaFarge has given powerful glimpes into the lives of these people as it was being played out in the early years of the Twentieth Century. Within this context is a compelling love story that is near poetry as the author gives us an unvarnished look at their struggles.

Rating:
Summary: When Cultures Collide
Review: This 1930 Pulitzer Prize novel is a heart-rendering look at young lovers brought together at a time when their world is astir with changes of which neither of them can control nor understand. The emerging culture of Slim Girl who has been given a Christian education clashes with the traditional Navajo norms of Laughing Boy. LaFarge has given powerful glimpes into the lives of these people as it was being played out in the early years of the Twentieth Century. Within this context is a compelling love story that is near poetry as the author gives us an unvarnished look at their struggles.

Rating:
Summary: It was OK!
Review: This book is not for me. It talks and obsesses over Native Americans. If you like hearing about many Indian cultures and interest, read this book. But, personally, it was torture. (My English teacher didn't even care for it)

Rating:
Summary: A Good Story Poorly Told
Review: This book offers an insightful look into Native American culture. It approaches the complexities of living in (and off) a land as vast as the American Southwest. The story is compelling and depressing. Yet the author's choice of expressing the thoughts and words of the characters as though they were attempting to communicate in English as a second language and doing this through stunted, simple sentences demeans the characters and fails to communicate the complexity of their thoughts and lives. Because I have not had the opportunity to read many books about Native American culture, I was happy to have had the chance to read this book. However, I hope that there are authors out there which better capture and communicate the thoughts of the characters about which they write.

Rating:
Summary: A Good Story Poorly Told
Review: This book offers an insightful look into Native American culture. It approaches the complexities of living in (and off) a land as vast as the American Southwest. The story is compelling and depressing. Yet the author's choice of expressing the thoughts and words of the characters as though they were attempting to communicate in English as a second language and doing this through stunted, simple sentences demeans the characters and fails to communicate the complexity of their thoughts and lives. Because I have not had the opportunity to read many books about Native American culture, I was happy to have had the chance to read this book. However, I hope that there are authors out there which better capture and communicate the thoughts of the characters about which they write.