by Philip Roth
Review:
I started this book a month or so ago, but for various reasons I had to put it down and restart it this week. Instead of reading the selection for my monthly book club Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert, I poured myself into yet another Roth tome. It is very rare that I laugh out loud to the point of tears when reading, yet that is all I find myself doing when reading Roth. By far one of the funniest writers I have come across and always amazing and fresh. The novel explores how a Jewish family deals with rising fascism in 1940's America, with real historical figures as its backbone. When the renowned aviation hero Charles A. Lindbergh defeated Franklin Roosevelt by a landslide in the 1940 presidential election, fear invaded every Jewish household in America. Not only had Lindbergh, in a nationwide radio address, publicly blamed the Jews for selfishly pushing America toward a pointless war with Nazi Germany. This story was not only scary, but wonderful at the same time. I couldn't put it down and wished it never to end. Indeed this is the most personal of Roth's works, especially his portrayal of his stoic, honorable father, strong, decent mother, and talented, ambivalent brother. Roth to me is the perfect writer and I look forward to reading more of his work.
