I'm in a Time Zone

I’m almost finished reading Philip Roth’s new historical novel The Plot Against America, which is pretty amazing. Essentially, it envisions the rise of a fascist state in America, where famed aviator Charles Lindbergh manages to be elected president on an isolationist platform in 1940 (preventing FDR’s third term in the Oval Office). The Lindbergh administration forges an “understanding” with Hitler that America will remain neutral and not supply Britain with arms in exchange for being left out of the war. On the home front, we begin to see the subtle (yet easy to explain away) plans unfold for the persecution (elimination?) of Jewish Americans through the pre-teen eyes of a certain Philip Roth from Newark…

The parallels between this imagined past and the real now (as our government uses fear and propaganda to manipulate its citizens and the press -- and insists that its lies are the truth) are really, really creepy. Few novels outside of the serial killer genre (Thomas Harris and Patricia Cornwell novels in particular) have created so palpable a world that fills me with so much damn dread.

Also, I love alternate time lines…it’s the Star Trek geek in me.