The Plot Against America

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.

June 15, 2004
Alternative reality at its most chilling: Charles Lindbergh defeats FDR in the 1940 presidential election and seeks accommodation with Hitler, even as the Roth family (and millions of other American Jews) watch anxiously from the sidelines.

Copyright 2004 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 1, 2004
Adult/High School-When Charles Lindbergh, Republican candidate in the 1940 presidential race, defeats popular FDR in a landslide, pollsters scramble for explanations-among them that, to a country weary of crisis and fearful of becoming involved in another European war, the aviator represents "normalcy raised to heroic proportions." For the Roth family, however, the situation is anything but normal, and heroism has a different meaning. As the anti-Semitic new president cozies up to the Third Reich, right-wing activists throughout the nation seize the moment. Most citizens, enamored of isolationism and lost in hero worship, see no evil-but in the Roths' once secure and stable Jewish neighborhood in New Jersey, the world is descending into a nightmare of confusion, fear, and unpredictability. The young narrator, Phil, views the developing crisis through the lens of his family life and his own boyish concerns. His father, clinging tenaciously to his trust in America, loses his confidence painfully and incrementally. His mother tries to shield the children from her own growing fear. An aunt, brother, and cousin respond in different ways, and the family is divided. But though the situation is grim, this is not a despairing tale; suspenseful, poignant, and often humorous, it engages readers in many ways. It prompts them to consider the nature of history, present times, and possible futures, and can lead to good discussions among thoughtful readers and teachers. Bibliographic sources, notes on historical figures, and documentation are included.-Christine C. Menefee, Fairfax County Public Library, VA

Copyright 2004 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from August 1, 2004
In his new novel, Roth steps boldly into the difficult realm of alternate history. As he has it, aviation hero Charles Lindbergh is nominated for president in 1940 on a peace-with-Hitler platform and wins handily over FDR--the majority of the electorate fearing that Roosevelt intends to propel the country into the war currently raging in Europe. Of course, a large segment of American Jewry is frightened at the advent of Lindbergh into the White House; his friendship with the fuhrer could easily include acceptance or even adoption of the German dictator's anti-Semitic policies. Roth brings this provocative national situation down to a personal level by drawing the reader into the lives of the young narrator--called Philip Roth--and his Jewish family in Newark, New Jersey. How the Lindbergh presidency divides the family, since each member must "determine the response sensible for a Jewish family to take," is the specific focus. In particular, Roth isolates young Philip's reaction when his immediate world is plunged into turmoil he both understands and doesn't quite understand. There are occasional breaches in the "what-if" conceit, from which escape faint whiffs of gimmick, but the overall effect of the novel is staggering. Roth has constructed a brilliantly telling and disturbing historical prism by which to refract the American psyche as it pertains to war--the central question always being, Do we protect humanity beyond our borders and see our soldiers come home in body bags? 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."(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2004, American Library Association.)