http://www.powells.com/biblio/1-9780618509287-6 : Lately, it seems like I've seen Philip Roth's name everywhere - so, I decided I better get started on reading all his books. The Plot Against America is set up as a "autobiography" with an eight year old Philip Roth as the narrator. Charles Lindbergh, national hero and anti-semite, has just defeated FDR as President of the United States. The country is torn between people who wish for Jews to assimilate into mainstream culture and for the country to stay out of Europe's war, and the "ghetto Jews" who are suspicious of Lindbergh's alliances with Nazi Germany. This is a fascinating exploration into "what could have been" and a forceful commentary on what happens when people refuse to question authority. Though fiction, this is a damning critique of American life that portrays some of our national "heroes" in a less than flattering light. From a personal perspective, I couldn't help thinking throughout the book that while Lindbergh's presidency threatened the Jewish existence in Roth's novel, by eliminating FRD as president before the bombing of Pearl Habor, it may have prevented the internment of the Japanese-Americans. The book takes a turn in 1941/42, but either way, there is no mention of the camps. Roth's writing is powerful. He is a fabulous storyteller and I look forward to reading more of his work in the future.(* - listed in 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die)
2 comments:
That was one of Danzer's favorite books by him too. I don't recommend the Human Stain, it made me want to never read Roth again.
Did you dislike the subject matter of The Human Stain, or the writing itself?
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