A Different Drummer Paperback - 1990
by William Melvin Kelley
Set in a mythical backwater Southern town, A Different Drummer is the extraordinary story of Tucker Caliban, a quiet, determined descendant of an African chief who for no apparent reason destroys his farm and heads for parts unknown--setting off a mass exodus of the state's entire Black population. A novel of compelling power and haunting impact.
Reader reviews for A Different Drummer
Review summary
Readers widely hailed William Melvin Kelley’s 1962 debut as a rediscovered classic. Set in a fictional Southern state in 1957, it portrays Tucker Caliban’s radical act that triggers a mass exodus of Black residents, told through the perspectives of white observers. The novel’s multi-voiced structure, vivid dialect, and allegorical force drew comparisons to Faulkner and Baldwin. Reviewers praised its lyrical precision and emotional power, calling it a short but devastating meditation on race, history, and complicity that feels urgently contemporary. While its period language, violence, and slow-burn, demanding approach were noted, the consensus deemed it essential and unforgettable.
Readers say this book is:
powerfulhauntingthought-provokingtimelymasterfullyricalchallengingemotionally resonantunsettlingunforgettableWrite a review for this book
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From the publisher
From the jacket flap
Details
- Title A Different Drummer
- Author William Melvin Kelley
- Binding Paperback
- Edition Reprint
- Pages 224
- Volumes 1
- Language ENG
- Publisher Anchor Books, New York, New York, U.S.A.
- Publication date 1990-05-01
- Features Bibliography
- ISBN 9780385413909 / 0385413904
- Weight 0.57 lbs (0.26 kg)
- Dimensions 8.05 x 5.19 x 0.54 in (20.45 x 13.18 x 1.37 cm)
- Reading level 890
-
Themes
- Ethnic Orientation: African American
- Category Fiction - General
- Library of Congress subjects Historical fiction, Southern States - Race relations
- Library of Congress Catalogue Number 89018441
- Dewey Decimal Code FIC
Media reviews
Citations
- Publishers Weekly, 05/18/1990, Page 0
About the author
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A Different Drummer
by Kelley, William M
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by William Melvin Kelley
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A Different Drummer
by William Melvin Kelley
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by William Melvin Kelley
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A Different Drummer
by Kelley, William Melvin
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- ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
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Show details
A Different Drummer
by Kelley, William Melvin
- Used
- Condition
- Used
- ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
- 9780385413909 / 0385413904
- Quantity available
- 2
- Seller
- Item price
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A$12.08Free Delivery to USA