The Central Brown Baggers read and discussed “The Plot Against America” by Philip Roth on Thursday, July 18th.  Primarily set in the time period (1940s) and place (NJ) of Roth’s boyhood, this semi biographical alternative history provided for a great discussion. It was also a timely read as “The Plot Against America” was recently included in the 7/14/24 Washington Post article “For Great Political Reads, These Book Get our Votes”  and was 65th on the NYT’s recent list of the top 100 novels of the 21st century. 

In June of 1940, Charles Lindbergh is nominated to run against FDR for president and his victory changes the tenor and timing of US involvement in WWII.  Under Lindbergh’s administration, the country’s anti-semitism is allowed to expand and persecution of Jewish American communities becomes more acceptable.  Told from the point of view of a 7 year old, our readers found the difficulties of the family put a human face on the political situation. 

In addition to FDR and Lindbergh, “The Plot” includes a cast of historical figures including radio personality Walter Winchell, NY Mayor Fiorello La Guardia, Henry Ford, and Germans Joseph Goebbels, Hermann Goring and of course Adolf Hitler.  In part due to this, our readers felt “The Plot” read more like history than a novel.

Readers noted the elegance of the language and authenticity of the dialogue. We appreciated  Roth’s regard for his mother and at times questioned the decision-making of his father (the trip the family takes to Washington, DC for example).  

This selection also led to some nostalgia for some of our members, who remember the Movietone newsreels that ran at the cinemas before the main show.  And some reflection on how radically the course of US history could have been changed if FDR had not been elected.

Have you read any alternative histories? What titles would you recommend?