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   Summary and Book Reviews

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

The Plot Against America
by Philip Roth
Hardcover: Oct 2004,
400 pages.
Paperback: Sep 2005,
400 pages.

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Reading Guide
Reader Reviews

Author Biography
Books by this Author
Critics' Opinion:   very good
Readers' Rating:  Four Stars
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BOOK SUMMARY

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

Good  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.

Very Good  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.

Very Good  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.

Very Good  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 5 of 5 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 3 of 5 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.

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