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The Plot Against America

ebook
2 of 2 copies available
2 of 2 copies available

'He captures better than anyone the collision of public and private, the intrusion of history into the skin, the pores of every individual alive' Guardian
'Though on the morning after the election disbelief prevailed, especially among the pollsters, by the next everybody seemed to understand everything...'

When celebrity aviator, Charles A. Lindbergh, wins the 1940 presidential election on the slogan of 'America First', fear invades every Jewish household. Not only has Lindbergh blamed the Jews for pushing America towards war with Germany, he has negotiated an 'understanding' with the Nazis promising peace between the two nations.
Growing up in the 'ghetto' of Newark, Philip Roth recounts his childhood caught in the stranglehold of this counterfactual nightmare. As America sinks into its own dark metamorphosis and Jewish families are torn apart, fear and uncertainty spread.
Who really is President Lindbergh?
And to what end has he hijacked America?
__________________________
'Many passages in The Plot Against America echo feelings voiced today by vulnerable Americans - immigrants and minorities as alarmed by Trump's election as the Jews of Newark are frightened by Lindbergh's' New Yorker
**ONE OF THE GUARDIAN'S 100 BEST BOOKS OF THE 21st CENTURY**

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  • Reviews

    • Publisher's Weekly

      Starred review from July 12, 2004
      During his long career, Roth has shown himself a master at creating fictional doppelgängers. In this stunning novel, he creates a mesmerizing alternate world as well, in which Charles A. Lindbergh defeats FDR in the 1940 presidential election, and Philip, his parents and his brother weather the storm in Newark, N.J. Incorporating Lindbergh's actual radio address in which he accused the British and the Jews of trying to force America into a foreign war, Roth builds an eerily logical narrative that shows how isolationists in and out of government, emboldened by Lindbergh's blatant anti-Semitism (he invites von Rippentrop to the White House, etc.), enact new laws and create an atmosphere of religious hatred that culminates in nationwide pogroms.
      Historical figures such as Walter Winchell, Fiorello La Guardia and Henry Ford inhabit this chillingly plausible fiction, which is as suspenseful as the best thrillers and illustrates how easily people can be persuaded by self-interest to abandon morality. The novel is, in addition, a moving family drama, in which Philip's fiercely ethical father, Herman, finds himself unable to protect his loved ones, and a family schism develops between those who understand the eventual outcome of Lindbergh's policies and those who are co-opted into abetting their own potential destruction. Many episodes are touching and hilarious: young Philip experiences the usual fears and misapprehensions of a pre-adolescent; locks himself into a neighbor's bathroom; gets into dangerous mischief with a friend; watches his cousin masturbating with no comprehension of the act.
      In the balance of personal, domestic and national events, the novel is one of Roth's most deft creations, and if the lollapalooza of an ending is bizarre with its revisionist theory about the motives behind Lindbergh's anti-Semitism, it's the subtext about what can happen when government limits religious liberties in the name of the national interest that gives the novel moral authority. Roth's writing has never been so direct and accessible while retaining its stylistic precision and acute insights into human foibles and follies. (Oct. 5)

      Forecast:
      With its intriguing premise and thriller-tense plot, it's likely that this novel will broaden Roth's readership while instigating provocative debate.

    • Publisher's Weekly

      Starred review from December 6, 2004
      Veteran actor Silver turns in a pitch-perfect rendering of Roth's novel about an America in which the staunch isolationist and purported anti-Semite Charles Lindbergh defeats Franklin Roosevelt in the 1940 presidential election. Lindbergh's victory draws a dividing line in the country, as well as within the Newark, N.J., neighborhood—and household—of the book's young Jewish narrator, who is also named Philip Roth. Silver's experience on both stage and screen shines through in his excellent pacing and subtle yet resonant characterizations. He certainly possesses a knack for the East Coast Jewish accent that the book demands, but he much more importantly demonstrates an ability to capture a range of people and emotions, from the frustrated bewilderment of a child whose life is thrust into turmoil to the simmering venom his father can invest in the single word "Lindbergh." He also enhances the book's most moving scenes, especially a sad long-distance phone conversation between Philip and his pitiable former schoolmate Seldon, who has been moved to rural Kentucky in a government assimilation program. It is without question one of the finest moments in Silver's delicate, unadorned and wholly genuine performance. Simultaneous release with the Houghton Mifflin hardcover (Forecasts, July 12).

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  • OverDrive Read
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Languages

  • English

Levels

  • Lexile® Measure:1640
  • Text Difficulty:12

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