''A Different Drummer'' is the 1962 debut novel of

William Melvin Kelley William Melvin Kelley (November 1, 1937 – February 1, 2017) was an African-American novelist and short-story writer. He is perhaps best known for his debut novel, '' A Different Drummer'', published in 1962. As "Remainders" in the print issue, ...

. It won the

John Hay Whitney John Hay Whitney (August 17, 1904 – February 8, 1982) was U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom, publisher of the ''New York Herald Tribune'', and president of the Museum of Modern Art. He was a member of the Whitney family. Early life Whit ...

Foundation Award and Rosenthal Foundation Award of the

National Institute of Arts and Letters The American Academy of Arts and Letters is a 300-member honor society whose goal is to "foster, assist, and sustain excellence" in American literature, music, and art. Its fixed number membership is elected for lifetime appointments. Its headqua ...

. The title comes from

Henry David Thoreau Henry David Thoreau (July 12, 1817May 6, 1862) was an American naturalist, essayist, poet, and philosopher. A leading Transcendentalism, transcendentalist, he is best known for his book ''Walden'', a reflection upon simple living in natural su ...

: "If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer..."

Story

June 1957. One afternoon, in the backwater town of Sutton in an imaginary Southern state located between Mississippi and Alabama, a young black farmer, Tucker Caliban, matter-of-factly throws salt on his field, shoots his horse and livestock, sets fire to his house and leaves with his pregnant wife, starting an exodus of the entire African-American population from the state. The novel gives background and context to Caliban's act across a dozen chapters, each told from the perspective of different white townspersons.

Structure

The original edition starts with an extended dedication (to the author's mother, his father and to "MSL"), and an epigraph (two separate stanzas from ''

Walden ''Walden'' (; first published in 1854 as ''Walden; or, Life in the Woods'') is a book by American transcendentalist writer Henry David Thoreau. The text is a reflection upon the author's simple living in natural surroundings. The work is part ...

'' by

, one of which includes the title of the book). The novel is divided into 11 titled chapters. The narrative is told from the viewpoint of the town's white inhabitants.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Different Drummer, A 1962 American novels 1962 debut novels African-American novels