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.
Yet, while he uses the Young Philip as his main character, he does tell the story through the filter of time. It’s the adult Philip, sixty odd years later, who gives us the story of his own youth – in this frightening, exciting time. It’s something of a construct, but it’s how we can get the history of the time. Over all, I think it works, although at times a bit awkwardly. This is really evident in the ending, which I think falls a bit flat. The narrator, the elder Philip, gives us the outcome of the entire Lindbergh presidency in Chapter 8, as a script of the newsreels, the cable news of its day. We know the ending before we get to the fantastic Chapter 9, the pogrom in Nashville that kills the creepy boy (Seldon’s) mother. The scene where Mrs. Roth talks Seldon through making his own breakfast is absolutely breathtaking. It’s scenes like this that make this book work – we can feel the fear and tension and heartbreak – in all the characters. Roth by his mother’s side, worrying for her, worrying for his father, out on the streets – where is he? – now that Winchell is dead. Mrs. Roth, so patient, yet so afraid herself, trying to reason with the silly boy Seldon who seems so out of it all the time. I love the juxtaposition of this scene with the one where Philip is locked in the bathroom – the voices of the mothers can be interchanged so easily – but Philip wasn’t even locked in and the horror Seldon imagines is all too real.
Roth does a spectacular job with fear in this book. The scene when the family travels to Washington D.C. for a vacation, after Lindbergh has been elected is wonderful. We are introduced to all of the characters and Mr. Roth especially. To see him react in the face of real or perceived Anti-Semitism sets the tone for the whole novel. This headstrong, intelligent, hard-working man struggles to keep himself calm. It’s foreshadowing for the fight to come – not with an Anti-Semite, but with his own flesh and blood. Herman Roth’s fight with Alvin is a fight for justice – and really, Herman Roth’s vision of the American Way.
Overall, I think one of my favorite parts of the novel is the humor. I was very often reminded of Leslie Epstein’s King of the Jews (the funniest book ever written about The Holocaust, and at the same time, the most tragic.) The scene I mentioned earlier, when Seldon is on the phone with Mrs. Roth, is quite funny, and awful at the same time. It’s like taking your medicine with a spoonful of sugar – but it also puts the horror of the situation so clearly in focus. You’re laughing because it’s funny, but at the same time, if you stop laughing, you’ll be crying.
While I don’t think the novel is Roth’s best, I admire it’s ambition and for the most part I think it succeeds. At its best, it’s a salient reminder of how easily things can turn bad. Things you could never imagine happening. The books use of fear and humor make it feel more real than then the reader would like.
Some possible discussion points:
-- There are quite a few characters in the book that I haven’t mentioned – Rabbi Bengelsdorf, Walter Winchell, Alvin, Sandy – each one probably deserves a post in their own right.
-- What do you make of Philip running off to the Catholic orphanage? Is he trying to escape not just his family, but his Jewishness?
-- The family relationships in this book are interesting as well – the Roths are so close-knit, but Herman barely speaks to his brother, who he must go work for, Alvin ends up not speaking to any of them, and Bess’s sister, Evelyn is banished. Is it politics ripping the family apart, or something deeper?
-- Sandy goes through a couple of transformation in the book – are any of them believable? I’ll buy the first one, that he goes to Kentucky willingly and works for the OAA, but he seems to drop it all pretty quickly. Can girls really make you forget what your passionate about? ;-)
-- Do you think Roth, the writer, does a credible job mixing historical fact and historical fiction? Does the line blur too readily?
Some links:
Philip Roth's essay in The New York Times Book Review discussing his reasons for writing the book.
A review from The New Yorker.
A review in The Nation.
A review in The American Conservative.
A review in The Times Literary Supplement.
A review in The Christian Science Monitor.
Talk amongst yourselves…enjoy!
[I’d like to add something. This is our first discussion, so things may be a little rough at first. This book may also spark some controversy among our members. While I would never ask you to tone down your passions or opinions (after all, book group IS about opinion) I would ask you to frame your questions and responses with respect for all members. Undoubtedly a book of this nature will turn the topic to politics. All opinions are welcome here, disrespect and didacticism are not.]
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.)
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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.
The Times Literary Supplement Review of The Plot Against America
The Christian Science Monitor Review of The Plot Against America
Roth's Wikipedia Entry
CNN profile on Roth
One of America's Best Artists and Entertainers, according to them.
That should get you started!