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Who Was . . . ? Series
Who Was Langston Hughes?
Find out how a young boy from the Midwest became one of the most important writers and activists of the Harlem Renaissance in this addition to the #1 New York Times bestselling series!
Langston Hughes was born in Joplin, Missouri, and was raised by his grandmother, who told him many stories of the Black American experience and taught him to be proud of his race from a young age. With her guidance, Langston went on to become a talented writer in high school, creating dramatic plays, poetry, and articles for the school paper. His career as a writer would continue to blossom. Langston pioneered Jazz Poetry and published nearly twenty poetry books during his lifetime as well as novels, books for children, nonfiction books, and plays. He was an activist and a major figure of the Harlem Renaissance period, alongside Zora Neale Hurston and Countee Cullen. Young readers can learn about Langston's beloved writing, including some of his most famous poems "Dreams" and "The Weary Blues," and his long-lasting legacy in this middle-grade biography.
Langston Hughes was born in Joplin, Missouri, and was raised by his grandmother, who told him many stories of the Black American experience and taught him to be proud of his race from a young age. With her guidance, Langston went on to become a talented writer in high school, creating dramatic plays, poetry, and articles for the school paper. His career as a writer would continue to blossom. Langston pioneered Jazz Poetry and published nearly twenty poetry books during his lifetime as well as novels, books for children, nonfiction books, and plays. He was an activist and a major figure of the Harlem Renaissance period, alongside Zora Neale Hurston and Countee Cullen. Young readers can learn about Langston's beloved writing, including some of his most famous poems "Dreams" and "The Weary Blues," and his long-lasting legacy in this middle-grade biography.
112 pages, Paperback
Published February 6, 2024
9 people are currently reading
68 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
February 27, 2024
He one of my faves; of course I loved this book!!!
September 22, 2025
My crush inspires the direction of my learning. I'm still striving to strike a time balance in life, so I've only been gravitating toward very short books I can digest more quickly. This was extremely rewarding. As it happens, I am now interested in spin offs of this book.
October 10, 2024
*listened with Hendrix*
August 7, 2024
So many things I didn't know! It's precisely why I love reading this series.
I didn't know that Langston Hughes was "discovered" even though he was already Harlem famous by a famous poet he approached dining at a hotel restaurant where he was a busboy. The poet recited the poetry Hughes gave him in front of a crowd to rousing applause and papers did a story on Hughes.
I didn't know that Hughes didn't really lives with his parents most of his life. His father moved to Mexico, but his mom hated it and moved back to the states. While Hughes visited his father a few times afterward in Mexico where he ranched and passed for white, he never really lived with him. His mother couldn't make ends meet with the work she had, so Hughes grew up with his grandmother until she passed.
I didn't know Hughes spent time in Russia and has some Communist sympathies even traveling around Asia before being asked to appear before a committee (though privately) about his connections.
I didn't know that Hughes didn't end up completing college between financial difficulties and wanting to interact with people more deeply. I didn't realize how many people he met, knew, inspired, or were connected with over his long life.
With all of that, it's such a fantastic biography of Hughes' life that gives a broad picture of his life but also contextualized during the time he lived.
I didn't know that Langston Hughes was "discovered" even though he was already Harlem famous by a famous poet he approached dining at a hotel restaurant where he was a busboy. The poet recited the poetry Hughes gave him in front of a crowd to rousing applause and papers did a story on Hughes.
I didn't know that Hughes didn't really lives with his parents most of his life. His father moved to Mexico, but his mom hated it and moved back to the states. While Hughes visited his father a few times afterward in Mexico where he ranched and passed for white, he never really lived with him. His mother couldn't make ends meet with the work she had, so Hughes grew up with his grandmother until she passed.
I didn't know Hughes spent time in Russia and has some Communist sympathies even traveling around Asia before being asked to appear before a committee (though privately) about his connections.
I didn't know that Hughes didn't end up completing college between financial difficulties and wanting to interact with people more deeply. I didn't realize how many people he met, knew, inspired, or were connected with over his long life.
With all of that, it's such a fantastic biography of Hughes' life that gives a broad picture of his life but also contextualized during the time he lived.
February 16, 2024
This is part of the "Who Was (Is)" series. I saw it on the shelf and figured that I'd give it a read. These books are targeted towards young adults and do a great job of writing an easily read biography of about 100 pages. To be honest, they are probably a great place to start when reading about a person.
For me, this one was particular interesting. I attended a book fair where one of the authors mentioned the childhood home of Hughes and trying to make it a historic landmark. I have an unread compilation of his poetry sitting on my shelf. I should probably pull it off and start reading it.
For me, this one was particular interesting. I attended a book fair where one of the authors mentioned the childhood home of Hughes and trying to make it a historic landmark. I have an unread compilation of his poetry sitting on my shelf. I should probably pull it off and start reading it.
March 18, 2024
A lucid, engaging biography of one of America’s greatest poets — Merrell’s biography does a particularly exceptional job of conveying the depth of Langston Hughes’s genius and his contributions to Black literature and global culture. I am a guncle to several middle schoolers and look forward to sharing it with them. Highly recommended.
March 3, 2024
Excellent information
April 1, 2024
A little light on content.
April 20, 2024
I felt like there gaps in the story.
April 25, 2025
I know these books are supposed to be for kids but, if you are an adult who just needs to brush up on history and don't want to read a very long biography, this series is the way to go.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews