Laughing Boy is a deeply human account of love, identity, and cultural survival, set against the majestic landscapes of Arizona in the American Southwest during the early 1910s. Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Oliver La Farge draws on his anthropological work and deep interest in Native American cultures to craft a moving depiction of two lives caught between two worlds during a period of profound social change, when government policies sought to suppress Indigenous lifeways.

Resilient as he is handsome, Laughing Boy, a gifted Navajo silversmith raised in the traditions of his people, falls in love with the beautiful Slim Girl, an intelligent young woman educated at a federal boarding school and separated from her cultural roots. As their relationship deepens, they must navigate the widening divide between Navajo traditions and the pressures of forced assimilation.

Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, Laughing Boy is an enduring American literary classic rich with Indigenous themes, vivid Southwestern landscapes, and emotional depth—perfect for readers of Native American fiction, historical fiction, period dramas, and American literary classics.