The Plot Against America: Summary and book reviews of The Plot Against America by Philip Roth, plus links to an excerpt from The Plot Against America and a biography of Philip Roth.
The Plot Against America
by Philip Roth
Hardcover: Oct 2004,
400 pages.
Paperback: Sep 2005,
400 pages.
When the renowned aviation hero and rabid isolationist Charles A. Lindbergh
defeated Franklin Roosevelt by a landslide in the 1940 presidential election,
fear invaded every Jewish household in America. Not only had Lindbergh, in a
nationwide radio address, publicly blamed the Jews for selfishly pushing America
toward a pointless war with Nazi Germany, but upon taking office as the
thirty-third president of the United States, he negotiated a cordial "understanding"
with Adolf Hitler, whose conquest of Europe and virulent anti-Semitic policies
he appeared to accept without difficulty.
What then followed in America is the
historical setting for this startling new book by Pulitzer Prize-winner Philip
Roth, who recounts what it was like for his Newark family — and for a million
such families all over the country — during the menacing years of the
Lindbergh presidency, when American citizens who happened to be Jews had every
reason to expect the worst.
BOOK REVIEWS
Media Reviews
Publishers Weekly
In the balance of
personal, domestic and national events, the novel is one of Roth's most deft
creations....Roth's writing has
never been so direct and accessible while retaining its stylistic precision and
acute insights into human foibles and follies.
Booklist - Brad Hooper
Starred Review. This magnificent novel is
both appropriate to today's headlines and timeless for its undermining of the
blind sentiment that it can't happen here.
Library Journal - Barbara Hoffert
This may be alternative history, but it is chillingly and
convincingly realistic in its portrayal. The reader watches, horrified yet
totally absorbed, as America spirals down the path toward fascism. Perhaps the
last-minute rescue and explanation for Lindbergh's stance seems a bit
far-fetched, but otherwise this is a remarkable achievement. Highly recommended.
Kirkus Reviews
The story gathers breakneck velocity and intensity, ending perhaps too
abruptly (and, perhaps, pointing the way to a sequel). But hilarious and
terrifying by turns, it's a sumptuous interweaving of narrative,
characterization, speculation, and argument that joins The Ghost Writer (1979)
and Operation Shylock (1993) at the summit of Roth's achievement. An almost
unbelievably rich book, and another likely major prizewinner.
Recent Reader Reviews
Rated of 5
by LINDY .EDU The Plot Against America by Roth was an amazing book. I loved the fact that I knew little American History to relate to this book. Because it made me more vulnerable to believe the reason where people would want Lindbergh as their President. The... Read More
Rated of 5
by Anonymous
Trite, difficult to continue to read. Revising history is cheap. Then again my strong first reaction may be more about what just occurred in the American election and the strong implications for our time.
An epic novel and a thrilling literary discovery, The Orphan Master's Son follows a young man's journey through the icy waters, dark tunnels, and eerie spy chambers of the world's most mysterious dictatorship, North Korea.
War, natural disaster, reckless gods and the recognition of impermanence in the world are just some of the threads that AS Byatt weaves into this most timely of books. Linguistically stunning and imaginatively abundant, this is a landmark.
A beguiling, imaginative, inspiring story about the bigness of being alive as an individual, as a member of a tribe, and as a participant in history, exploring how we use storytelling to survive and shape our own truths.
Brilliantly evoking the long-vanished world of masters and servants, Margaret Powell's classic memoir of her time in service is the remarkable true story of an indomitable woman who, though she served in the great houses of England, never stopped aiming high.
Vivid, daring, and unforgettable, The Printmaker's Daughter shines fresh light on art, loyalty, and the tender and indelible bond between a father and daughter.
I read The Healing in two sittings it is a fascinating story of plantation life at the beginning of the Civil War. Granada, a slave newborn child...
read more
The Uncommon Reader is a novella by novelist and playwright, Alan Bennett. The story starts with the Queen coming across the mobile library van...
read more
Amazon to open bricks and mortar store in Seattle(Feb 07 2012) Last week, the word in the blogosphere was that Amazon was considering opening a bricks-and-mortar store. Over the weekend goodereader.com added substance to...
Full Story
Arizona bills Amazon for $53 million in uncollected sales tax(Feb 06 2012) The ongoing sales tax battle between many US states and large online retailers, most notably Amazon, continues with a thrust from Arizona which, last week,...
Full Story
Publishers Weekly
of 5
by LINDY
of 5
by Anonymous
RSS feed
