From the Bookshelf of De Boekenwurm…

Het complot tegen Amerika

Philip Roth,

Ko Kooman (Translator)

Start date: February 1, 2018

Finish date: February 28, 2018

Discussion: Boek van de maand

Discussion leader: Elise Kleuskens

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What Members Thought

Jan 23, 2018 Claire rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: precinct-81, 1001-books-to-read-before-you-die

A book by Philip Roth is allways a treat. For me this one was too. I enjoyed the story (‘what if....’), his style and the humour. He has been for many years one of America’s finest authors. His talent to draw you completely in his story allways strikes me. Another day gone, but one passed in excellent company.

Sadly the story at this moment seems to be caught up by reality. Maybe one of the books that should be an obligatary read?

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Apr 27, 2021 José Van Rosmalen rated it really liked it

Shelves: in-bezit, roman, geschiedenis

Dit is een ‘wat als’ boek; stel dat niet Roosevelt was gekozen maar Charles Lindbergh, de vlieger- avonturier met rechtse sympathieën die weinig ophad met democratie en ook bevriend was met ‘onze’ Prins Bernhard. Roth neemt je op geloofwaardige manier mee in zijn gedachtenexperiment. Ik las het toen Donald Trump president was, die ook allesbehalve een Democraat was. Het boek is een waarschuwing tegen fascisme en extreem nationalisme en is daarmee helaas juist nu weer zeer actueel.

7 likes · Like · see review

Sep 23, 2024 Marco rated it really liked it

Shelves: north-america

De parallellen met de huidige tijd zijn, helaas, onmiskenbaar.

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Feb 18, 2018 Jessica-sim rated it liked it · review of another edition

This is undoubtedly a good book, a frightening one though. The political situation presented here can all to easily happen anywhere right now. Drawing comparisons to one current American president might be easy, but Europe isn't "safe" either. Politics, politicians and the media all seem to run away with each other, feeding off the heat of the moment. They create fear, just so they can maintain their own position. In desolation even formerly trustworthy politicians resort to untruthful measures This is undoubtedly a good book, a frightening one though. The political situation presented here can all to easily happen anywhere right now. Drawing comparisons to one current American president might be easy, but Europe isn't "safe" either. Politics, politicians and the media all seem to run away with each other, feeding off the heat of the moment. They create fear, just so they can maintain their own position. In desolation even formerly trustworthy politicians resort to untruthful measures hoping they can keep the peace by not causing a panic (recent Dutch political scandal).

This book combines fiction and truth, and is described as "counterfactual history". It shows a world where Roosevelt loses the elections in 1940 to Charles Lindbergh, the aviation hero and apparently Nazi sympathizer, leading to widespread persecution of Jews in the United States and a different course for the second world war altogether.

The book is not easy to read, not just because of the awful potential reality it presents, also because of the way it is written. It tells the story from the viewpoint of a ten-year-old boy trying to make sense of all the things he witnesses. His contorted sentences just never seem to end and it gets annoying at times. By chapter four you get adjusted to the rhythm and reading goes a bit faster. Also perhaps as the boy is growing and his view of the world becomes more realistic, it gets easier to go along with his thoughts.

As annoying and as slow as I found the reading to be, the style did serve a purpose. It effectively invoked a feeling of dread, disorientation and frustration with all that was going on. I cannot imagine the horrors the parents have had to go through, nor the children. Little dramas play out on a grand scale because although the political troubles might have a global scale, the specifics are intimate.

The tidings of any nation are also those of each individual. That is what makes politics and home life inseparable. Identity cannot be seen as separate from history, no matter how hard we try to look at a bigger picture. There is a delicate balance between circumstances and chance, and it is all we can do to trust that common sense will win out in the end. Let's just hope we don't have to fall down so far before that happens.
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Feb 26, 2018 Marieke rated it liked it

Shelves: literature

In het complot tegen Amerika schetst Philip Roth een alternatieve geschiedenis over de Verenigde Staten tijdens de Tweede Wereldoorlog, namelijk wanneer de antisemtische Charles Lindbergh president zou zijn geworden.
Over het algemeen weet Roth, die alles vanuit het oogpunt van een joodse man, die indertijd kind was, schetst, dit op overtuigende wijze te doen. Hij maakt de spanningen invoelbaar . Toch weet hij in het midden te laten of het beleid van Lindbergh in zijn verhaal ook daadwerkelijk an ...more

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Mar 09, 2021 Bas rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Beklemmend boek dat de lezer meeneemt in een alternatieve geschiedenis van eind jaren ‘30 en begin ‘40; werpt een licht op het Amerikaanse nazisme en fascisme pre-WW2 door dit te verweven in het persoonlijke verhaal van een Joods gezin. Hier en daar wellicht wat al te toevallig / vergezocht in het verknopen van de persoonlijke verwikkelingen met de internationale politiek. Ook de wending in het voorlaatste hoofdstuk en het vrij abrupte einde vond ik wat jammer. Maar het is, zeker met de recente ...more

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