Not Without Laughter (Penguin Classics)

At its centre sits Sandy Rodgers - a young boy attempting to find purpose amid the chaos, meagreness and music of his surroundings. His narrative intertwines with those of his family - his wandering father, his fervent grandmother, his blues-singing aunt - to create a brilliantly intricate portrait of Black life in the early twentieth century.

Not Without Laughter, Langston Hughes' unforgettable debut novel, is a landmark in the history of a racially divided America and one of the jewels of the Harlem Renaissance.