 | This articlerelies largely or entirely on asingle source. Relevant discussion may be found on thetalk page. Please helpimprove this article byintroducing citations to additional sources. Find sources: "Laughing Boy" novel – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(April 2022) |
 First edition | |
| Author | Oliver La Farge |
|---|---|
| Cover artist | Robert Overholtzer |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Historical fiction |
| Set in | Southwestern U.S. (1915) |
| Publisher | Houghton Mifflin |
Publication date | 1929 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | |
| Pages | 302 |
| Awards | Pulitzer Prize |
| ISBN | 0-618-44672-9 |
| Text | Laughing Boy online |
Laughing Boy is a 1929 novel byOliver La Farge about the struggles of theNavajo in Southwestern United States to reconcile their culture with that of the United States. It won thePulitzer Prize in 1930.
It was adapted asa film of the same name, released in 1934.
The novel is set in 1915, when the first motorized vehicle was driven into Native American territory. It concerns a boy named Laughing Boy who seeks to become an adult who can be respected among hisNavajo tribe. They live in a place known as T'o Tlakai. He has been initiated into tribal ways, is an accomplished jeweler, and can compete favorably at events such as racing wild horses, which he has either caught or capably traded at market.[1]
At a tribal event, Laughing Boy encounters a beautiful, mysterious young woman known as Slim Girl, and the two are soon attracted to each other. Complications arise immediately from her past experiences in theIndian Schools, boarding schools run under the auspices of the federal government for education and assimilation of Native Americans. Native American children were sent to these schools from numerous tribes, where they were forced to abandon their individual languages and cultures and instead had to adopt the English language and Western cultural standards.
These complications affect the relationship and his family's view of it in ways that slowly unfold and intertwine as the novel progresses. It offers a rare glimpse into the Navajo lifestyle and territory.
The novel was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and was published as anArmed Services Edition during World War II.
In 1934,Laughing Boy was adapted as a film of the same name, directed byW. S. Van Dyke. It starredRamón Novarro as Laughing Boy andLupe Vélez as Slim Girl.
The book was removed from high school library shelves by the board of education of theIsland Trees Union Free School District in New York. This case became the subject of aU.S. Supreme Court case in 1982.[2]
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
 | This article about ahistorical novel of the 1920s is astub. You can help Wikipedia byadding missing information. See guidelines for writing about novels. Further suggestions might be found on the article'stalk page. |
