It is not often the world of entertainment meets so harmoniously with the crush of world news.
Recent newspaper headlines proclaim events unfolding from Moscow to Washington, where the rumblings of military bravado compete with sincere diplomats behind the scenes at the United Nations. Meanwhile changes are moving quickly regarding the acceptance of gay Americans in all aspects of society, including elective office.
Thanks to Colorado-based WordFire Press book lovers can again follow the unfolding of a Cold War drama consisting of plot lines where highly plausible and intriguing scenarios between the super-powers might lead to potentially catastrophic outcomes. In addition comes the story of a closeted homosexual U.S. senator at a time when social mores did not allow for one in such a position to live authentically.
Those are some of the scenarios that can be found in the powerfully written pages of the newly re-published classics from one of America’s most impressive authors, Allen Drury. A whole new generation of readers can now experience these political scandals and the international turmoil between the superpowers as they play out within the covers of Drury’s books.
When one mentions Allen Drury there instantly comes to mind the masterpiece Advise and Consent which sent readers into bookstores to such an extent the book remained on the New York Times list for 102 weeks. The real power of his narrative and style of writing was demonstrated when the book won the Pulitzer Prize in 1960.
Not only will Advise and Consent be freshly published but also Mark Coffin U.S.S. and Decision, two other works by the famed author, will again be available to the public.
The rest of the sequence of riveting and highly readable books, including the entire Advise and Consent series, will be published throughout the 2014 election season. Within the next few years the complete works of this notable author will again be available. For that readers worldwide can applaud.
The reason these books are so rewarding to read for the first time, or again as we journey back over the decades in our recollections, is to remind ourselves of how government can operate. Through the use of multi-dimensional characters and real-world knowledge Drury constructs political chaos but also allows for the art of compromise and good will among partisans to rise up and match the needs of the nation. Sadly, reading about fictional characters in books may be the only way to now find common ground in Washington.
The process of governing is presented in a real-world vivid way as the players move about congress, the White House, and the diplomatic corridors at the United Nations. If anyone wants a civics lesson with expressive rhetoric and flair it can be found in the Advise and Consent series.
Readers from both sides of the political aisle will be caught up in Drury’s volumes. As a liberal Democrat I can state my long-time pleasure with Drury’s writings, fully knowing that when it comes to entertainment we all can find common sources of escape within books. While Drury clearly has a conservative worldview the masterful plots he creates and the strong power of his narrative makes these books a pure joy to read regardless of how one lines up on the political spectrum.
What I find most compelling within the pages is the passionate oratory from all sides which is delivered in such a fashion it makes me feel I have a gallery seat in the United States Senate or at the UN. With a strong back-story to allow readers inside the minds of the key cast of characters—and there are many personalities to know, love, and hate—makes for a much more engaged feeling the reader will have with the entire series.
Drury’s cast of characters, composites for sure of real men who once walked and governed in Washington, will likely trigger a response of wishing they might drop over for a drink while providing some inside gossip floating around the Capital. Who would not want to hear Senator Seabright B. Cooley wind a tale or two while seated in your living room?
But let me add one caveat. Once you start this series there is no way not to pick up succeeding volumes. Whereas many books are quickly read and discarded the Drury series will leave readers thinking about government, the world at large, and best of all knowing they spent some quality time with a well-crafted read.
So plan some beach time this summer with one of Allen Drury’s books. You will not regret it.
CAFFEINATED POLITICS 
Thanks for you kind words! I’m glad to hear a fellow liberal appreciates Allen Drury’s works. (Full disclosure: My name is Kevin Killiany and Allen Drury was my uncle.)
Al was by turns annoyed or amused at being pigeonholed as a conservative. Of course he was conservative on issues like the Soviet Union and news organizations that “spun” news to promote their own agendas. (In the sixties the media were liberal. I imagine the Al I grew up with would have the same disdain for conservative news outlets.)
On some issues, however, Al was pretty liberal. Writing sympathetically about a homosexual senator at a time when the word “homosexual” was censored outside clinical studies and smut was radical in its day. (His support of what might now be called the gay community led to erroneous speculation in some quarters that he himself was homosexual.) He felt as strongly about Civil Rights. A Shade of Difference confronts US racism through the lens of the UN and a collision between third-world leaders and the abuses of southern “justice.” Al was writing in 1961, so some of his language and cultural assumptions seem antiquated by today’s standards, but at the time his position on racial equality was controversial. (I don’t recall his stance on race ever leading to speculation that he himself was black.)
But more important than any single issue, you hit it exactly when you said Al wrote about “how government can operate.” Allen Drury had a profound respect for the men and women who – no matter what their individual political beliefs – did their best to find a common ground for the common good. People he watched do their jobs every day.
Thanks for the comment, and working to make sure your Uncle Allen continues to have his work published and read. I am looking forward to seeing your project grow and how it is viewed by others. Thanks so much for reaching out to me and this little spot on the information highway.