Ein anderer Takt

The forgotten giant of American literature. The small town of Sutton in the middle of nowhere in the South. On a June afternoon in 1957, the black farmer Tucker Caliban spreads salt on his fields, kills his livestock, burns down his house, and sets off northward. The entire black population of the town follows him. William Melvin Kelley's rediscovered masterpiece "A Different Drum" is one of the most astute testimonies to the ongoing struggle of African Americans for equality and justice. The white residents watch the exodus in disbelief. What drives Caliban to leave Sutton overnight? Who will tend to the fields now? How should the whites react? From their perspective, Kelley describes the effects of the collective departure. Liberal voices clash with racist traditionalists. It seems only a matter of time before the toxic mix of anger, despair, and helplessness erupts. With biting sarcasm at times and surprising compassion at others, a black author tells the story of white America. A novel of unsettling relevance.