Review of Laughing Boy

This book was in the Young Adult section of my library. This surprised me because I thought most Pulitzer Prize winning books were written for adults and I think this one was, but was in the wrong section. As I read it I felt strongly that I wouldn't want my young adult reading it. It wasn't a bad book at all, but the underlying theme was questionable.

This book is about a young Navajo boy named Laughing Boy. He fell in love with a girl named Slim Girl. Their meeting and courtship was unusual to us, but it must have been common at that time for their culture. Slim Girl had been taken away from her parents as a young girl to California and raised to be white. At the time of their meeting she is trying to get back to her roots and needs Laughing Boy to help her. I think that initially that's why she wanted to marry Laughing Boy. She saw that he had interest in her and she thought he could help her, but she does fall in love with him.

While she was living in California with the white folks she met a rancher that she fell in love with, had relations with and became pregnant. He of course left her, because in this book white people are bad people. She was lonely and pregnant (she did loose the baby) and came to a small town and was helped by the local prostitutes who of course were white. They taught her their trade and she realized that she could use rich men to get what she wanted. She continued this practice so that her and Laughing Boy could have lots of money before they returned to live with his family. Unfortunately, she was caught in the act and Laughing Boy had to do the honorable thing for their culture and that was to kill her, but he loved her so much he couldn't and just shot her in the arm with his bow and arrow.

When he returned to their house to pack up and leave she was there and told him her whole story. He forgave her and they decided to go back to be with his family. Unfortunately on the way a jealous Navajo sees them and kills her.

It was good for me to read this story because I grew up in a town surrounded by Native Americans and I never really gained an appreciation for their culture. Through this book I was able to see into their early culture and gain an admiration for the Native Americans. The main theme of Laughing Boy is a love story. It's set in a place where true love seems unlikely, but these two do truly love each other and find joy in building their world. Many times Slim Girl wants to change, but she is able to get money and other things that made their life simpler. She does try to get back to her roots by weaving Navajo rugs, she learns to do it well enough she is able to sell them and make money with them. After she is killed Laughing Boy has his mourning period and travels on to a new village where he is unknown and decides to settle there. He decides that Slim Girl wants him to live on and be happy and that's what he does.