I recently finished reading “The Plot Against America” by Philip Roth., and I have mixed feelings about this book.
The book is a fictional account of how things would have been if Charles Lindbergh had been elected president rather than FDR in 1940. The main character is a 9 year old Jewish boy in Newark NJ. The story revolves around the effects the pro-Nazi Lindbergh adminstration has on the boy, his family and his community.
The premise is intriguing, and Roth creates a believable alternate history of the United States. The writing is good, the pacing is good, and the characters are well developed.
My favorite parts were the scenes that featured the child’s thoughts and conclusions he drew from the events happening around him. Roth skillfully taps into that part of childhood where ghosts and imaginary dangers are just as real as the stark dangers of the real world.
My problem with the book is that I just never connected with any of it. I kept reading, thinking that eventually I would “get into it”, but it never happened.
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Lindbergh thought that America was not ready to take on Germany, but he was not pro Nazi. I once interviewed a pilot who trained other pilots for World War II. He knew Lindberg well and even shared some personal letters with me.
I am Jewish myself, so I would not stick up for Lindbergh if he were pro Nazi.
It lists the fact that Lindbergh went to Germany a number of times before WWII, and accepted an award from the reich. What his motivations and opinions are is supposition, but his letters indicate he did not disapprove of Hitler. His anti semitic and isolationist views are a matter of public record.
I disliked this book. I'm glad I borrowed it from the library so I could return it.