The Plot Against America

Interesting, timely, but uneven. The premise is simple: What would the U.S. be like if “America First” adherent and Nazi sympathizer Charles Lindbergh defeated FDR for president and kept the U.S. out of WWII. The big political picture of this scenario is told somewhat oddly from the perspective of an elementary aged Jewish boy in Newark, NJ. Thus, the focus of the book isn't really “what happens to the U.S.,” but rather “what happens to this family while much is happening to the U.S.” This is interesting, but the author gets bogged down in the details of life in this household and the larger community. Things unfold slowly as the political situation doesn't change much - until it does - rapidly with far too many events described in a backhanded way near the end. I read this novel b/c it's getting popular attention, especially since our actual president is a modern “America First-er.” And I'm glad I read it, even if it's not a page-turner and it took some effort to stick with the story.