Plot Against America
In "Plot Against America" by Phillip Roth, the author takes an interesing look at reworking history through a highly improbably scenario. A big "what if" offers readers an alternate 1940 election in which Charles Lindburgh, a known Nazi sympathizer, is elected president of the United States over the incumbent Franklin Roosevelt.
The plot revolves around an American Jewish family, the Roths, and their youngest son, Phillip (ironically the name of the author.) While the story paints a vivid view of a plausible premise, it limps along slowly as young Phillip gives tedious details of each family member and their day to day struggles. At only eight years old, it seems highly unlikely that Phillip would have engaged in so much of the political understanding of the day, even if looking back from the vantage point of an adult.
The ending is somewhat predictable and abrupt as if the author suddenly realized he had entangled the plot to a point and wanted to bring it back to the present history of the world today. It was all too convenient and disappointing, hardly the chilling scenario Roth seemed determined to portray. The only chilling part is in seeing his premise of a young good looking charismatic man with little experience in politics rising from obscurity to win the presidency away from the staid old school incumbent. It could never happen. Or could it? Let's hope and pray that no president ever tries to undermine our hard won freedoms or redefine our Constitution.
The plot revolves around an American Jewish family, the Roths, and their youngest son, Phillip (ironically the name of the author.) While the story paints a vivid view of a plausible premise, it limps along slowly as young Phillip gives tedious details of each family member and their day to day struggles. At only eight years old, it seems highly unlikely that Phillip would have engaged in so much of the political understanding of the day, even if looking back from the vantage point of an adult.
The ending is somewhat predictable and abrupt as if the author suddenly realized he had entangled the plot to a point and wanted to bring it back to the present history of the world today. It was all too convenient and disappointing, hardly the chilling scenario Roth seemed determined to portray. The only chilling part is in seeing his premise of a young good looking charismatic man with little experience in politics rising from obscurity to win the presidency away from the staid old school incumbent. It could never happen. Or could it? Let's hope and pray that no president ever tries to undermine our hard won freedoms or redefine our Constitution.
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