Even if you're not a fan of speculative fiction, I would still recommend this book. I didn't quite know what to expect, but being an occasional fan of Harry Turtledove and his ilk, I gave Roth's book a try. What amazed me the most what the realization within the first few pages that this was an autobiographical novel, told in the first person, with Roth in the center. I was hoping the author would have a note about how many of the characters were real and how many of the experiences were real, though he never did. Considering the vividness of the episodes, though, I have to believe that many were drawn from real memories, and that lent a certain air to the book that I've never experienced in speculative fiction before.
The main idea is that Charles Lindbergh ran for President in 1940, and won big, mostly on an isolationist platform. Roth used bits of actual history to speculate that the Lindbergh administration would not only stay out of the war but would be an ally of Germany. Lend/Lease ended and treaties were signed with Japan to stay out of their way in the Pacific. Hence, no Pearl Harbor, no declaration of war against Japan, and none against the rest of the Axis. (One notable omission was no mention of Italy, or at least no memorable mention of Italy.) Instead of allying with the Soviets and putting anti-communism on the back burner, it was in the forefront, and Germany's invasion of the USSR was lauded in the U.S.
Against this backdrop, Roth's life continued. As a young boy, he had a unique view of the events. The point of view is of an adult writing of his time as a child, so though young Philip talks like a little boy of eight, the prose is that of an adult looking back on the events. The writing was well done. Roth lived in Newark, New Jersey, in the Jewish section, and opposition to Lindbergh was high in the community. Having heard of concentration camps in Germany, and of Lindbergh's admiration for Germany, they thought the worst. After his inauguration, Lindbergh signed a deal with Germany in Iceland, and all the worst fears of the Jews started to come true.
There was constant fear of pogroms, of camps, of persecution. And it begins, though slowly. A summer "Just Folks" program to place Jewish city youth with middle-American farmers; the Homestead 42 program to move Jewish families out of the cities and into the mid-west to help them "assimilate"; an American kristallnacht in Detroit.
The book turns some history on its head. To many today, Lindbergh is seen as a hero (though I knew of some of his anti-semitic statements before I read the book, I think this detail is lost to most Americans), but he is a villain in the book. After his untimely death, his wife tries to redeem his memory, but I'm not sure if Roth wanted us to believe the story. It is both detailed enough to be "true," but the books characters dismiss it as hysterical ramblings. Walter Winchell, a popular radio personality, is the hero; but in "real" history, he ended up a staunch McCarthyite, not exactly my idea of a hero. I found these reversals to be well done and interesting.
Overall, The Plot Against America was a great read. It had wonderful character development, and I actually would have like to have read about the next decade of these people's lives. If you're a fan of history, speculative or not, I would recommend this book to you.
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Misprinted book pages missing and out of order
Misprinted book. Page 208 is followed by pages 145 -176 then it picks up again at page 241 completely missing pages 209-240?
