Not Without Laughter follows along as Sandy Rogers transforms from an innocent boy to a more knowledgeable man. Sandy’s transformation is driven by tragedies in his life, his growing knowledge of sex, and his efforts to define goals and an identity that is self-determined rather than thrust upon him by the adults in his family and whites.

At the start of the novel, Sandy is a young boy who is frequently puzzled by the reasons for the actions of adults in his life and who simply accepts passively what is given to him by adults of the larger community. He is a thoughtful child, however, and wonders early on about the differences between his life and the lives of whites; he is also conscious of the secrets of the women in his life and refuses to disclose these secrets, an act of restraint that is atypical of a child.

Sandy’s understanding of himself begins to shift because of a series of crucial events. Sandy comes to understand the importance of integrity after he is reprimanded by Hager and Jimboy for spending his church offering on candy and being caught in a lie. He comes to understand the impact of racism and poverty on his life when he does not receive the Golden Flyer for a Christmas gift and when he chooses to spare his family’s feelings by pretending to like the gift.