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Mar 13, 2017wyenotgo rated this title 1.5 out of 5 stars
While I understand this book's sudden return to popularity, being viewed as relevant in view of the recent election of Trump, I'm afraid it's being given much better reviews than it deserves. The theme is of course valid. Regrettably, the writing is so bombastic and overblown, riddled with hyperbole and a style of dialogue that's not only archaic but was unlikely to have ever really been in general usage, that the book is practically unreadable. I found myself skipping over whole sections simply because I couldn't tolerate the language. Further, the characters are comic-book cutouts, archetypes entirely lacking in reality or substance. But the worst failing of all is that the bulk of the book covers what happens AFTER Windrip's election, the abuses, the reign of terror, all of it predictable. What is lacking is a serious exploration of the manner in which Windrip lied and manipulated his way to power, the conditions in the USA that made his campaign appeal to so many, the deep seated animosities within the population that he was able to use to divide and conquer. THAT is the political message that needed to be seriously explored if this "cautionary tale" were to have any real value to us today. I will state one thing in his favor: Lewis correctly identifies the latent streak of fascism that exists in many levels in the political thinking of Americans and which has existed for a long time. Every so often, it rears its ugly head, appearing in the 1930s as pro-Hitler sentiment masquerading as anti-communism and in the 1950s in the guise of the HUAC headed by Sen. McCarthy. More recently, it has been a factor in the emergence of small, armed, virulent anti-government cells of home-grown terrorists and even the so-called Tea Party which pretends to be a populist "movement". The unpleasant truth is that this anti-democratic element is as American as apple pie; its origin possibly goes back to the founding of the American republic and the sort of robustly self-reliant people who were inclined to take it upon themselves to face the wilderness without the benefit of a constabulary to protect them from hostile natives whose land they were stealing and whose way of life they were determined to destroy. Fascism is essentially a political credo based on the rule of the bully; to succeed it needs to convince those who feel aggrieved that they are victims of some "elite" and that this Strong Man will take up their cause and right the balance in their favor. It exploits political naiveté and thrives on terrorizing anyone who might oppose its edicts. So I applaud Lewis for identifying this factor; I just wish he had done so more thoroughly and with a writing style that was a lot more readable.