Philip Roth's 'The Plot Against America' Explores Alternate History and Anti-Semitism

Philip Roth's novel 'The Plot Against America' (Le complot contre l'Amérique), published by Gallimard in the 'Monde entier' collection, imagines an alternate history where aviator and anti-Semite Charles Lindbergh defeats Franklin D. Roosevelt in the 1940 U.S. presidential election. The story follows the Roth family in Newark, New Jersey, as they face escalating xenophobia, racism, and violence under Lindbergh's pro-Nazi administration. Roth blurs fiction and history, depicting the family's divisions: nephew Alvin fights with the Canadian army against Hitler, aunt Evelyn becomes the mistress of a pro-Lindbergh rabbi, brother Sandy joins integration propaganda programs, and the father rescues orphans despite dangers. The novel critiques the 'Jewish conspiracy' myth, arguing the real conspiracy is white Christian Americans betraying the country's cosmopolitan values. Key events include the expulsion of the Roths from a Washington hotel, the murder of journalist Winchell, and the burning death of Selma Wishnow. The book culminates in Lindbergh's mysterious disappearance and a coup by Wheeler, plunging the nation into civil war.