New Paltz community members are invited to join a community read of Philip Roth’s classic work of revisionist history, “The Plot against America,” as the One Book/One New Paltz program launches a series of discussions and performances from April 22-29.
Roth’s award-winning novel imagines a world in which the United States allies with Nazi Germany following the 1940 presidential election. Anti-Semitism becomes national policy, Jewish citizens are persecuted by their neighbors, and the darkest impulses of the national character are revealed.
“The Plot against America” is the 14th selection of the One Book/One New Paltz committee, which consists of both SUNY New Paltz faculty and staff and Town residents. The series has become an important tradition and a strong bond between the College and the Town of New Paltz.
For the first time this year, the shared reading experience will take place in the spring, as the committee made the decision to go away from the usual late fall schedule given the many other things going on at that time of year.
Event highlights from this year’s program include a conversation with Gerald Benjamin, distinguished professor of political science and One Book/One New Paltz founder (April 23 11 a.m., Jacobsen Faculty Tower 1010); an improvisational theatre performance by Community Playback Theatre (April 26, 7 p.m., Woodland Pond); and a community discussion led by Associate Professor Tom Olsen (April 27, 7 p.m., Inquiring Minds Bookstore).
The complete list of programs, as well as additional information about the book and a reader’s guide with suggested topics for discussion, can be accessed on the One Book/One New Paltz website.
