A Very Strange Society

A Very Strange Society: A Journey to the Heart of South Africa
First edition cover
AuthorAllen Drury
LanguageEnglish
GenreNon-fiction
PublisherTrident Press
Publication date
1967
Publication placeUnited States
Media typePrint (hardcover & paperback)
Pages465
ISBN1-299-27312-2

A Very Strange Society: A Journey to the Heart of South Africa is a 1967 non-fiction book by Allen Drury.[1][2][3] It explores the then-evolving government and culture of the Republic of South Africa.[4]

Overview

Combining newspaper articles, interviews and government edicts, Drury presents the "achievements and failures" of the new republic, which was founded in 1961.[4]

Critical reception

In November 1967, Kirkus Reviews wrote:

Utilizing a pro and con format, Drury presents a rather convincing case why a minority of whites should be in a position to totally dominate and manipulate a vastly larger non-white population. Although he scores Afrikaan provincialism, police-state methods, and obduracy, it is done in a manner that suggests redemption will come from the purging of traits rather than ideology. In a sense, this book derives its lethality from what it most certainly isn't — crackpot and extremist. On the other hand, it most certainly fails as a dispassionate and objective handling of the South African dilemma.[4]

References

  1. ^ Brennan, Elizabeth A.; Clarage, Elizabeth C., eds. (December 17, 1998). Who's Who of Pulitzer Prize Winners. Greenwood Press. pp. 229–230. ISBN 1-573-56111-8.
  2. ^ "Drury, Allen (1918 September 2 - 1998 September 2): Biographical History". Online Archive of California. Archived from the original on January 20, 2015. Retrieved January 20, 2015.
  3. ^ TAU SA (October 3, 2011). "A very strange society". Politicsweb.co.za. Retrieved January 30, 2015.
  4. ^ a b c "A Very Strange Society by Allen Drury". Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved January 20, 2015.