I first read Philip Roth last year when I read The Human Stain and enjoyed it very much. I liked the writing. I liked the story. I liked the pace. Since then, I made two separate attempts to read him, both of which failed. Both of the other books I tried were too "dirty-old-man" for me. When The Plot Against America came out, I knew I wanted to read it. Especially since it was political and there were many reviews that equated it to the current administration. I asked for the book and received it as a Christmas gift in 2004. It sat on my shelf for a year and I knew I would never pick it up unless I forced myself so I asked my reading group if they were interested in reading it. Everyone agreed so we picked it and I finally got around to reading it.

The book is a what if story about Lindbergh winning the 1940 presidency instead of FDR, written from the perspective of a Jewish family living in New York. The main character is a little boy named Philip Roth. It was very well written and a relatively quick read. For people, like me, who don't know a lot about the correct political history of the time, it's a bit confusing to keep track of what really happened and what's made up. I am usually determined to avoid any form of fiction or non-fiction that is set during the second World War but I knew this book would be worthwhile. And it was. It was also very disturbing and there was an engulfing sense of fear and panic throughout the entire novel, making me thankful for the thousandth time that I wasn't alive during that particular time in history even though this particular story was fictional.

As much as I despise the current administration, I would have to say that the horrific tale of the book is not nearly as parallel to the current times as the media made it out to be. If it really were, I do think we'd see thousands flocking to Canada weekly. May it never ever get to be an issue.