In "It Can't Happen Here" by Sinclair Lewis, readers are taken on a chilling journey through an alternate history where a populist demagogue becomes President of the United States and transforms the country into a fascist state. Through the eyes of characters like Doremus Jessup, a newspaper editor turned resistance fighter, the novel explores the rise of totalitarianism, the erosion of democratic norms, and the fragility of American freedoms. The book serves as a stark warning about the dangers of political movements akin to fascism and Nazism gaining power, highlighting the potential consequences of complacency and fear-mongering in society. Despite being published in 1935, the themes of the book remain eerily prescient and relevant in today's political climate.
The writing style of "It Can't Happen Here" is described as being somewhat dated, with lengthy sentences and turgid prose, yet it effectively captures the unsettling atmosphere of the story. The novel delves into the descent into fascism by the country, following the journey of individuals like Doremus Jessup as they navigate the oppressive regime and struggle against the dictatorial government. Through vivid imagery and sharp-eyed observations, Sinclair Lewis paints a disturbing picture of a America under the grip of a demagogue, providing a thought-provoking exploration of power, resistance, and the consequences of political extremism.
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Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings
The book contains content warnings for themes of political violence, oppression, discrimination, and graphic depictions of concentration camps.
From The Publisher:
"The novel that foreshadowed Donald Trump's authoritarian appeal."-Salon
It Can't Happen Here is the only one of Sinclair Lewis's later novels to match the power of Main Street, Babbitt, and Arrowsmith. A cautionary tale about the fragility of democracy, it is an alarming, eerily timeless look at how fascism could take hold in America.
Written during the Great Depression, when the country was largely oblivious to Hitler's aggression, it juxtaposes sharp political satire with the chillingly realistic rise of a president who becomes a dictator to save the nation from welfare cheats, sex, crime, and a liberal press.
Called "a message to thinking Americans" by the Springfield Republican when it was published in 1935, It Can't Happen Here is a shockingly prescient novel that remains as fresh and contemporary as today's news.
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An incredibly talented writer tackled a dark subject with absurdist humor and foresight. Written in 1936, before the reveal of Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy's anti-human acts, Sinclair's warning was, if anything, understated.
It Can’t Happen Here, a political novel by Sinclair Lewis first published in 1935, details the rise, consolidation, and partial collapse of an American fascist dictatorship. The book is told primarily from the perspective of Doremus Jessup, an owner-editor of a small-town Vermont newspaper and self-described middle-class liberal intellectual. Jessup is 60 years old at the start of the novel.
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About the Author:
Sinclair Lewis (1885-1951) won the Nobel Prize for literature in 1930, the first American novelist to be so honored. He was born in Sauk Centre, Minnesota, the son of a doctor. After an extremely unhappy childhood, he went to Yale…
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