Having read this 10 years ago; nothing much to add to the other reviews other my long-held feeling that this Philip Roth novel should have been made into a film by now. There is another Roth, an Oscar-winning screenwriter whose forté in adaptations from literature might create a compelling screenplay. Perhaps too touchy subject for America and certainly no hope of such a project in 2018.

A highly imaginative, fiction of the idea that past is prologue. Some readers may dislike Roth's stream of consciousness style, but those that persevere should be rewarded with a better understanding of the struggle of an important minority group in American culture from the beginning of the twentieth century.

I admire the book. It is frightening, especially in the age of Trump. It also has funny moments, like the scary basement. I am a little younger than the narrator, but the world of my childhood was similar: children played outside, everybody listened to the radio, no TV.

Touching description of cousin Alvin, with an amputated leg. One of the reviews mentioned the gruesome stump is a symbol of war.

Although Roth is frequently misogynistic, here he shows a strong, capable woman: Phillip's mother. She handled the crisis with Seldon with dignity and courage.

P. 184 of the hardback describes Lindbergh's reputation as "a no-nonsense realist and plain-talking man of the people." Trump's admirers see him that way, too.

Here are three articles from the New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/03/books/review/the-plot-against-america.html

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/19/books/philip-roth-plot-against-america.html

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/23/nyregion/philip-roth-newark.html

This website has good questions for readers: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/158040/the-plot-against-america-by-philip-roth/9781400079490/readers-guide/

Allegories to the Bush Administration were used when this book was written. A quaint accusation compared to the current president.
I came back to this book when Trump was elected and am horrified at the similarities between a fictional Lindbergh administration and the Trump abomination we're now living.
Substitute Russia for Germany and I defy anyone not see Trump and Pence as the fascists wrapped in religion and cloaked around the American flag.
This book is prescient in the birth of Trump the President and how quickly the slippery slope turns into a dictatorship. A truly terrifying book.

Interesting parallels between what might have happened under Lindburg & what DID happen under Roosevelt.

At times I couldn't tell where this book was going and kept waiting for the other shoe to drop. Despite that feeling, I enjoyed the sidewinding nature of the descriptions of life of the main character. After finishing the book, I realized I'm thinking about it more now than I did when it was in my hands. It left me with a lingering eerie feeling, which is a good thing.

I mentioned this book as part of an ongoing review series called "Literary Counterparts."

http://www.stevenarntson.com/2012/04/literary-counterparts-doubleroth.html