The Plot Against America by Philip Roth

Philip Roth wrote " The Plot Against America: a Novel in 2004. The narrator is himself at the young age of seven, living in Newark, New Jersey, Roth's own childhood home. Many of Roth's books take place in Newark, but this is a novel of alternative history. Charles A. Lindbergh has been elected as the Republican President of the United States instead of Franklin D. Roosevelt for his third term in October 1940. His platform is American First, promising to keep America out of the European War that started in 1939. Roth's premise is that Lindberg is Anti-Semitic and fears that the Jews that are in power in government and the media are pressuring the nation into World War II. Philip's family include his father, an insurance salesman, his mother, homemaker involved in the PTA, and his older brother Sandy, who has a talent for drawing. Young Philip is seen absorbing all the fears and terrors that result in the Jewish population of Newark becoming weakened by the displacement of their numbers. I liked the rich detail of the Jewish family in the 1940's located in a Jewish community in Newark, New Jersey. Rich characterization of Philip and his family add much to the story. I recommend this novel to those who like historical novels. In the back of the book Roth lists books that provided him with the history of the times, and also an accurate account of the real characters mentioned in the book such as Fiorello H. La Guardia and Walter Winchel, gossip columnist.