Laughing Boy (Signet Classics (Paperback))

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: 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: 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.