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A Different Drummer
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A Different Drummer Paperback - 1990

by William Melvin Kelley

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This seller has earned a 4.22 of 5 Stars rating from internet customers.
4.22 / 5 (2991 total reviews)

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

This seller has earned a 4.22 of 5 Stars rating from internet customers.
4.22 / 5 (2991 total reviews)

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 resonantunsettlingunforgettable

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From the publisher

The stunning, thought-provoking first novel by a "lost giant of American literature" (The New Yorker)

June, 1957. One hot afternoon in the backwaters of the Deep South, a young black farmer named Tucker Caliban salts his fields, shoots his horse, burns his house, and heads north with his wife and child. His departure sets off an exodus of the state's entire black population, throwing the established order into brilliant disarray. Told from the points of view of the white residents who remained, A Different Drummer stands, decades after its first publication in 1962, as an extraordinary and prescient triumph of satire and spirit.

From the jacket flap

Nearly three decades offer its first publication, "A Different Drummer remains one of the most trenchant, imaginative, and hard-hitting works of fiction to come out of the bitter struggle for African-American civil rights.

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

William Melvin Kelley was born in New York City in 1937 and attended the Fieldston School and Harvard. The author of four novels and a short story collection, he was a writer in residence at the State University of New York at Geneseo and also taught at the New School and Sarah Lawrence College. He was awarded the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award for lifetime achievement and the Dana Reed Prize for creative writing. He died in 2017.
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A Different Drummer
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A Different Drummer

by Kelley, William M

  • Used
  • Paperback
Condition
Used
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780385413909 / 0385413904
Quantity available
1
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Anchor. Used - Acceptable. BOOK HAS PREVIOUS OWNER'S NAME IN IT BUT BOOK REMAINS IN ACCEPTABLE READING CONDITION. paperback 100% of proceeds go to charity! Acceptable reading copy with obvious signs of use, wear, and/or cosmetic issues. Item is complete and remains readable despite notable condition issues.
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A Different Drummer
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A Different Drummer

by Kelley, William Melvin

  • Used
  • Very good
Condition
Very good
Edition
Reprint
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780385413909 / 0385413904
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BooksRun
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Anchor. Reprint. Very Good. It's a well-cared-for item that has seen limited use. The item may show minor signs of wear. All the text is legible, with all pages included. It may have slight markings and/or highlighting.
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A Different Drummer
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A Different Drummer

by Kelley, William Melvin

  • Used
  • Good
  • Paperback
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Good
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780385413909 / 0385413904
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Anchor Books, 1990. Paperback. Good. Former library book; Missing dust jacket; Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
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A Different Drummer

A Different Drummer

by William Melvin Kelley

  • Used
  • Acceptable
  • Paperback
Condition
Acceptable
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780385413909 / 0385413904
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Description:
Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, 1990. Paperback. Acceptable. Readable copy. Pages may have considerable notes/highlighting. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
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A$9.28
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A Different Drummer

A Different Drummer

by William Melvin Kelley

  • Used
  • Very good
  • Paperback
Condition
Very good
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780385413909 / 0385413904
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Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, 1990. Paperback. Very Good. May have limited writing in cover pages. Pages are unmarked. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
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A$9.28
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A Different Drummer

A Different Drummer

by William Melvin Kelley

  • Used
  • Acceptable
  • Paperback
Condition
Acceptable
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780385413909 / 0385413904
Quantity available
1
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Description:
Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, 1990. Paperback. Acceptable. Disclaimer:Former library book; Readable copy. Pages may have considerable notes/highlighting. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
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A Different Drummer

A Different Drummer

by William Melvin Kelley

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  • Paperback
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Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780385413909 / 0385413904
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Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, 1990. Paperback. Good. Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
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A$9.34
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A Different Drummer
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A Different Drummer

by Kelley, William Melvin

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Used
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780385413909 / 0385413904
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Description:
Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. Used - Good. Former library copy. Pages intact with minimal writing/highlighting. The binding may be loose and creased. Dust jackets/supplements are not included. Includes library markings. Stock photo provided. Product includes identifying sticker. Better World Books: Buy Books. Do Good.
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A Different Drummer
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A Different Drummer

by Kelley, William Melvin

  • Used
Condition
Used
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780385413909 / 0385413904
Quantity available
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Seller
Better World Books
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Item price
A$12.08
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Description:
Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. Used - Good. Pages intact with minimal writing/highlighting. The binding may be loose and creased. Dust jackets/supplements are not included. Stock photo provided. Product includes identifying sticker. Better World Books: Buy Books. Do Good.
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Item price
A$12.08
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A Different Drummer
Stock photo: cover may vary

A Different Drummer

by Kelley, William Melvin

  • Used
Condition
Used
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780385413909 / 0385413904
Quantity available
2
Seller
Better World Books
Item price
A$12.08
Free Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. Used - Good. Pages intact with minimal writing/highlighting. The binding may be loose and creased. Dust jackets/supplements are not included. Stock photo provided. Product includes identifying sticker. Better World Books: Buy Books. Do Good.
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Item price
A$12.08
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