January 2005
The Plot Against America
by Philip Roth
by Philip Roth
January 31, 2005
Book Discussion Begins!
The Plot Against America, by Philip Roth
First off, let me just say that I’m so excited about the interest in the group! As of my writing this, we have had 99 people sign up. If I include myself, we’ve hit the 100 mark! That’s amazing, and I must say, far beyond what I imagined. I hope you all have a wonderful, insightful, fulfilling time talking about the books.
That said, I’ve been kind of nervous to start the discussion. I’ve run book groups in the past and generally you only have to throw out one or two questions/discussion points and the conversation takes off. I’m not quite sure how we’ll get that done in cyperspace, but I’m very, very hopeful. I’ve decided the best way to do this is just to talk about what I thought of the book – maybe ask a few questions of others – and add some links at the end to some articles I read in preparation for the discussion. I hope you will all feel free to comment on my entry, and of course, write your own entries as well.
Philip Roth’s book, American Pastoral, is one of my favorites of all time and I was excited to read another one. Especially TPAA, since the subject matter is so frightening and fascinating at the same time. What if Lindbergh, a national, really international hero and superstar, were to be elected President? So what? If we add to that his Anti-Semitic, White Supremacist leanings, the crusade of Hitler and Fascism in Europe, and Lindbergh’s isolationist platform, we’ve got quite a heady mix.
Continue reading "Book Discussion Begins!"
Posted by Knit One Read Too at 12:00 AM | Comments (28)
January 27, 2005
NPR interview with Philip Roth.
To all the knitter/readers out there who I know would be interested in this: A member of my knitting group tipped me off to a half-hour interview with Philip Roth on NPR's Fresh Air that aired October 11, 2004. Listen to it here. It's well worth your time!
Posted by Donna at 09:13 AM | Comments (1)
January 22, 2005
Just Finished
Hi, I just finished the book (staying inside all day to keep out of the winter storm in CT) and thorougly enjoyed it. I don't understand why this book wasn't on more "best of 2004" lists. I really liked how the novel was from young Philip's perspective. Even without the well-conceived main plot, I think this book can be enjoyed also as a coming-of-age story. It was extremely depressing at times in its plausibility. I suppose I should mention that I grew up as a Jew in the deep south and that this was the seventh Philip Roth book I've read (although this one was very different from the others). I'm looking forward to the discussion.
Posted by *Lauren* at 05:09 PM | Comments (1)
January 11, 2005
Lindbergh's Double Life
Hope you're all enjoying the book!
I was reading the New York Times this morning and there was an article on people who lead double lives - you know - two wives, kids, etc. Apparently Lindbergh led one.
Click here for the article. (Unfortunately you'll have to register with the NYT to see it, but it's free.)
Here's a story from the BBC about it.
Here's another interesting link: Lindbergh's FBI files. They're hard to read - but interesting. Apparently some people weren't too happy about Lindy's involvement with the Germans. (Beware though - there's a lot of conspiracy theory stuff out there with Lindbergh - especially because of the kidnapping.)
Posted by Knit One Read Too at 05:35 PM | Comments (2)
December 30, 2004
Discussion begins January 31st
The formal discussion will begin on Monday, January 31st. To get you started though, here are some links about the book, The Plot Against America.
Philip Roth in the New York Times Archives.
This link features many book reviews of earlier works which appeard in the NYT, as well as interviews and articles about Roth. Very nice.
The Philip Roth Society
For those who can't get enough of the man....
Roth's Publisher's Page
Includes an audio version of Chapter 1, read by Roth himself.
The New York Review of Books review of The Plot Against America by J.M. Coetzee, a winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature.
Continue reading "Discussion begins January 31st"
Posted by Knit One Read Too at 08:22 PM | Comments (4)
