William Melvin Kelley

Unwilling to live in a society based on inequality, a Southern Black burns his land and home and departs for the North with his family

A Different Drummer

In 1962, aged just 24, William Melvin Kelley's debut novel A Different Drummer earned him critical comparisons to James Baldwin and William Faulkner. Fifty-five years later, author and journalist Kathryn Schulz happened upon the novel serendipitously and was inspired to write the New Yorker article 'The Lost Giant of American Literature', included as a foreword to this edition. June, 1957. One afternoon, in the backwater town of Sutton, a young black farmer by the name of Tucker Caliban matter-of-factly throws salt on his field, shoots his horse and livestock, sets fire to his house and departs the southern state. And thereafter, the entire African-American population leave with him. The reaction that follows is told across a dozen chapters, each from the perspective of a different white townsperson. These are boys, girls, men and women; either liberal or conservative, bigoted or sympathetic - yet all of whom are grappling with this spontaneous, collective rejection of subordination. A lost masterpiece republished for 2018, A Different Drummer is for readers who have been waiting for the next rediscovered classic.

Dana Kraft

Such a great story, and I loved how it pulls you in with different characters’ perspectives. Makes me think about what it takes to be a “doer” and how much you need to trust yourself and find your inner motivation. I probably seek out advice and trust expertise too much. It’s easy to start not trusting yourself and not even listening to your inner voice. It also made me think about how hard it is to make a profound change in your life.

Quote that will stick with me is...
“...maybe those of us who go to school lost something...maybe we lost something Tucker has. It may be that we lost a faith in ourselves. When we have to do something, we don’t just do it, we THINK about doing it; we think about all the people who say certain things shouldn’t be done. And when we’re through thinking about it, we end up not doing it at all.” P. 114

A Different Drummer

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