The Plot Against America

[Atomium]

The Plot Against America: A Novel (ISBN 0-618-50928-3) is a novel by Philip Roth published in 2004. It is an alternate history where Franklin Delano Roosevelt is defeated in the presidential election of 1940 by Charles Lindbergh. The novel follows the fortunes of the Roth family during the Lindbergh presidency, as anti-Semitism becomes more accepted in American life and Jewish-American families like the Roths are persecuted on various levels. The narrator and central character in the novel is the young Philip, and the care with which his confusion and terror are rendered makes the novel as much about the mysteries of growing up as about American politics. Roth based his novel on the isolationist ideas espoused by Lindbergh in real life as a spokesman for the America First Committee and his own experiences growing up in Newark, New Jersey.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Plot_Against_America

Read it? Heard of it? Like it?

I sure do.

[SheilaT]

1. I read it.

Didn't like it. Feel that the ending was very much of a cop-out. Roth, who's early novel "When She Was Good" is in my opinion one of the very best novels out there, doesn't really understand how to write alternative history. He doesn't really follow through with his set-up.

[gratefultobelib]

2. I read it a year or so ago, and I remember liking it overall, although

I found some sizable holes in the plot, which always bugs me! But it definitely gave me some understanding of what it might be like to be Jewish and endure anti-Semitism.

[abluelady]

3. Read it When It Came Out

Like most books, it wasn't perfect. Overall, I like his writing, though, so I enjoyed it. Did find it rather scary, though. We like to think America is "better" than the premise of this book. But with the moron President we have now, it is easier to see how our country can fall apart.

[Old and In the Way]

4. Just read it and was going to post a thread about it.

Since you already have, I thought I'd just add my thoughts. I bought it to read during a recent business trip. As it happened, the guy next to me on my flight was a Business History professor at University of Maryland. He saw me reading it and told me that it was required reading for history majors at the University.

I found the historical fiction very interesting and a "what if" scenario that could have changed our course of history. I wish there had been more fleshing out of the larger context of the books primary thrust, that of Lindberg's Presidency and how that would have impacted the general society. Roth spends too much time with the familial impact of the narrator...who had lots of issues not really germane to the story.

I also agree with SheilaT that the ending was rushed and forced back to the path of actual history....I really think if Lindbergh had been elected we'd have continued well onto the path of fascism with a whole different history than what we have actually experienced.

But overall, I give it a hearty thumbs up, particularly in context with events happening today. I found Lindbergh's actual Des Moines speech really interesting in context with our position on no war today. It's really worth a read:

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/lindbergh/filmmore/reference/primary/desmoinesspeech.html

Interesting historical note that the isolationist organization, "America First" was originated at Yale University. I'm surprised that Roth didn't bring in Prescott Bush into this novel...he certainly deserved some attention in this story plot.

[9119495]

5. I dug it.

I found it surprisingly plausible. Come on...the Lindberg as "flyboy" was basically bush on "Mission Accomlished" day. I think Roth was going more for a comment to today. I thought it was quite entertaining and loved how it put a light on Lindberg. That dude was messed up, but history tends to clense his past because of the tragedy with his child and his achievement in flight--but I think the man had to pay for his words.

[WCGreen]

6. I agree with you...

It was Roth commenting on the state of affairs today...