A Different Drummer

By: William Melvin Kelley

Narrated by: Jay Smooth

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.

Critic reviews

“[A] lost giant of American literature. . . . Brilliant.” —The New Yorker

"A work of deep originality and superior craftsmanship whose treatment of racial politics resists ideological classification. . . . A potent brew of mythology, gossip, history, political argument and family drama. . . . A Different Drummer is animated by a force so immense, and fed by so much history, that it transcends encapsulation." —The Wall Street Journal

“This fierce and brilliant novel is written with sympathy as well as sorrow. It’s a myth packed with real-world resonance.” —The Guardian

“Radical and important.” —Financial Times

“Kelley blended fantasy and fact to construct an alternative world whose sweep and complexity drew comparisons to James Joyce and William Faulkner.” —The New York Times

“A rare first novel; dynamic, imaginative, and accomplished.” —Chicago Sunday Tribune

“Powerful. . . . Unflinching. . . . A gift to literature.” —The Observer

“So brilliant is this initial novel that one must consider Mr. Kelley for tentative future placement among the paragons of American letters.” —Boston Sunday Herald

“Beautifully written and thought-provoking.” —Baltimore Evening Sun

“This first novel just perhaps could play a part in changing our history.” —Kansas City Star

“An astounding achievement . . . Timeless, mythic. . . . Still relevant and powerful today.” —The Sunday Times (London)

“Breathtakingly good. . . . Must be one of the most assured debuts of all time.” —Sjón, author of CoDex 1962

“An imaginative, brilliantly observed world of the 20th-century Deep South in turmoil. . . . Kelley delivers his observations with caustic humour and surprising compassion. The comparisons of his debut to the books of James Baldwin and Faulkner are justified.” —The Irish Times

“A rediscovered classic of African American literature. . . . A powerful novel that weaves intricate themes like racism, systemized oppression and identity together.” —Bookriot

A significant and stirring story

“A Different Drummer” is both insightful, compelling, eerie, and heartbreaking. The author’s ability to show the reader the different perspectives of what set the stage for the key turning points in the story are clear, deliberate and striking. The last 10 pages of the story (I read along with the audio version) made an indelible impression.

This is a short read and I do not want to spoil the plot. All I will add is that if you are a fan of Douglas Turner Ware’s play “A Day Of Absence”, you will appreciate the source of the playwright’s inspiration and realize the play is a comedic reworking of this dramatic novel. The novel shouts its main themes from a key character that we in 2024 would do well to understand and apply.

Painful

Shameful. If you are white. Dignity. Complexity. Or is it as simple as it is ugly.

A wonderful and moving story

William Kelley was a friend and I had read this book a few years ago, it was a wonderful and moving story. The narrative by Jay Smooth was enthralling and it came alive!

Excellent book

The unusual perspective was key for me. Not what I expected at all until the end. Will read more of Mr Kelley’s work.

what a discovery!

what a fascinating read! excellent narration as well. as if from a time capsule, and continually surprising.