A Very Strange Society

A Very Strange Society: A Journey to the Heart of South Africa

First edition cover
Author	Allen Drury
Country	United States
Language	English
Genre	Non-fiction
Publisher	Trident Press
Publication date	1967
Media type	Print (hardcover & paperback)
Pages	465
ISBN	1-299-27312-2

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

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. Retrieved January 20, 2015.
3. TAU SA (October 3, 2011). "A very strange society". Politicsweb.co.za. Retrieved January 30, 2015.
4. "A Very Strange Society by Allen Drury". Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved January 20, 2015.

External links

• Harris, P.B. "Popular Social Anthropology: A Very Strange Society" (PDF). African Journal of Social Development. University of Zimbabwe. pp. 87–88. Retrieved January 30, 2015.