The Plot Against America: A Novel

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"What if" scenarios are often suspect. They are sometimes thinly veiled tales of the gospel according to the author, taking on the claustrophobic air of a personal fantasia that can't be shared. Such is not the case with Philip Roth's tour de force, The Plot Against America. It is a credible, fully-realized picture of what could happen anywhere, at any time, if the right people and circumstances come together.

The Plot Against America explores a wholly imagined thesis and sees it through to the end: Charles A. Lindbergh defeats FDR for the Presidency in 1940. Lindbergh, the "Lone Eagle," captured the country's imagination by his solo Atlantic crossing in 1927 in the monoplane, Spirit of St. Louis, then had the country's sympathy upon the kidnapping and murder of his young son. He was a true American hero: brave, modest, handsome, a patriot. According to some reliable sources, he was also a rabid isolationist, Nazi sympathizer, and a crypto-fascist. It is these latter attributes of Lindbergh that inform the novel.

The story is framed in Roth's own family history: the family flat in Weequahic, the neighbors, his parents, Bess and Herman, his brother, Sandy and seven-year-old Philip. Jewishness is always the scrim through which Roth examines American contemporary culture. His detractors say that he sees persecution everywhere, that he is vigilant in "Keeping faith with the certainty of Jewish travail"; his less severe critics might cavil about his portrayal of Jewish mothers and his sexual obsession, but generally give him good marks, and his fans read every word he writes and heap honors upon him. This novel will engage and satisfy every camp.

"Fear presides over these memories, a perpetual fear. Of course, no childhood is without its terrors, yet I wonder if I would have been a less frightened boy if Lindbergh hadn't been president or if I hadn't been the offspring of Jews." This is the opening paragraph of the book, which sets the stage and tone for all that follows. Fear is palpable throughout; fear of things both real and imagined. A central event of the novel is the relocation effort made through the Office of American Absorption, a government program whereby Jews would be placed, family by family, across the nation, thereby breaking up their neighborhoods--ghettos--and removing them from each other and from any kind of ethnic solidarity. The impact this edict has on Philip and all around him is horrific and life-changing. Throughout the novel, Roth interweaves historical names such as Walter Winchell, who tries to run against Lindbergh. The twist at the end is more than surprising--it is positively ingenious.

Roth has written a magnificent novel, arguably his best work in a long time. It is tempting to equate his scenario with current events, but resist, resist. Of course it is a cautionary tale, but, beyond that, it is a contribution to American letters by a man working at the top of his powers. --Valerie Ryan

Book Description

When the renowned aviation hero and rabid isolationist 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, but upon taking office as the thirty-third president of the United States, he negotiated a cordial "understanding" with Adolf Hitler, whose conquest of Europe and virulent anti-Semitic policies he appeared to accept without difficulty. What followed in America is the historical setting for this startling new book by the Pulitzer Prize winner Philip Roth, who recounts what it was like for his Newark family--and for a million such families all over the country--during the menacing years of the Lindbergh presidency, when American citizens who happened to be Jews had every reason to expect the worst.

Customer Reviews:

Because I enjoyed it.......2007-10-01

I really loved the first 300 pages. Roth's voice is wonderful as a child trying to make sense of chaos, and the nightmarish what-if built a good tension.

However, the ending was rushed and way too neatly wrapped up. I would prefer if the last 60 pages were just removed from the book. I'm still giving it five stars, because despite the ending, this was a fun, fast read.

(three and a half stars) alternative history with an autobiographical twist.......2007-09-18

I liked Philip Roth's "Plot Against America," but didn't love it. It seems to me that any alternative history novel (or time travel novel, for that matter), which maintains the possibility that the Nazis might prevail in World War II, is almost inevitably going to have its chilling moments. Indeed, it was quite terrifying to be reminded of how close Hitler came to invading all of Europe during the early phase of the war. Here, of course, Roth's alternative history centers on Charles Lindbergh, a known Nazi sympathizer, defeating FDR in 1940 (his unprecedented third term in real history). Of course, it is well known that a good percentage of the U.S. population didn't want to be involved in "Europe's War," until the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, so it is not completely far-fetched that Charles Lindbergh, an aviation hero who strongly favored U.S. isolationism, might have had a chance to be elected President.

What makes "The Plot Against America" unique I suppose, is how Roth basically writes his "autobiography" as a young boy as it might have been through a Lindbergh administration, and the rising tide of anti-semitism that resulted. Some of it works quite well and we can feel the world closing in on the Roths in particular, and the Jews in general, especially through a nefarious plot to dilute the Jewish communities through the newly created "Office of American Absorption" and other such efforts. However, other parts of the book feel contrived such as how the Roths are one acquaintance away from Lindbergh himself, namely through Philip's Aunt Evelyn, who has married the much older Rabbi Bengeldorf: a complicit sympathiser of the new administration. (SPOILER!!!). The manner in which the clock sets itself back to zero in the second to last chapter also felt forced to me.

I found the afterward of the book very informative, where Roth reviews the actual series of events through the historical figures mentioned in the book. It would have been more interesting to me if Roth had covered in greater detail the war itself, and the consequences of the U.S. failing to enter the fray at the end of 1941. But I understand this wasn't Roth's principle focus.

I do think "The Plot Against America" serves well as a genuine warning about how a different course of events in the past could have lead to a very different America, and different World for that matter. Perhaps the frightening scenario portrayed in this book can also be used as a forewarning to future generations.

Excellent, if flawed, novel.......2007-08-26

The book appeals from different points of view: a gripping book of fiction, alternative history and a warning call to the complacent. The switch in history is scary and it is possible that things could have been this way. It is both chilling and fascinating to think of the German fascism of the 1930's and 1940's happening here. Roth's writing as usual is spectacular. I could not put it down. My only problem was that the resolution happens so glibly and quickly that it is hard to imagine it could happen so easily. I recommend this to Roth fans, people into Judaica,
historians.

Poorly constructed, fundamentally disappointing.......2007-07-10

The Plot Against America was occasionally interesting, well-styled, but generally bad. As a general rule I have mixed feelings about "alternative history" as a genre. Such stories can raise interesting questions and "what-if" scenarios. They can also, however, wander painful far into the realm of fantasy where suspension of disbelief becomes an exercise in rejecting rationality. Unfortunately, Roth's wanders from an interesting, well-constructed novel to a silly fantasy by its final chapters. Yet, this is not the most fundamental problem the story faces. The book is first and foremost a story of rising anti-semitism in 1940s America and its impact on, and the reaction of, a Jewish New Jersey family. My problem is that the fear felt and displayed by the family far exceeds what would be a reasonable reaction to the events with which they're faced at any specific point in the first half of the book. It's as if the effects (the family's responses) are always several chapters in front of the causes (government sponsored discrimination of Jews). This problem was so pronounced that I found myself wondering if the book was some kind of statement about what Roth calls "ghetto Jews" seeing anti-Semitism everywhere. (Its not)

It could have happened here..........2007-07-08

This book draws obvious parallels with the modern political situation in the U.S., how facism creeps up on us rather than appears overnight. It comes complete with a folksy, popular President in the guise of Charles Lindbergh, whose seemingly benign programs hide a more sinster agenda (this one against the Jews, who slowly and systematically begin to lose their rights throughout the book); people who are complicit in the plot against their own people; and a watchdog reporter who is speaking out against the administration, a la Edward R. Murrow or Keith Olbermann (Walter Winchell, who in the scope of this book, goes beyond his job as a gossip columnist). The characters are all drawn well, from the prideful father who is less than successful at protecting his family; the relative who becomes a bitter disabled war veteran; the aunt who falls under the spell of a power-hungry rabbi; and of course the protagonist, who slowly loses his childhood innocence as these events unfold around him.

The only problem I had with the book was its rather sudden ending, which I won't reveal here, but it sure seemed like everything was suddenly wrapped up nicely and neatly, and not in tune with the rest of the story. Still, I would say this was a good book and I would recommend it.

American Gothic; Philip Roth pens a what-if novel: What if America had turned against the Jews?(Books & Arts)(Book Review): An article from: The Weekly Standard

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American Gothic; Philip Roth pens a what-if novel: What if America had turned against the Jews?(Books & Arts)(Book Review): An article from: The Weekly Standard
Stephen Schwartz
Manufacturer: News America Incorporated
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital
ASIN: B0007URH4U
Release Date: 2005-07-13

Book Description

This digital document is an article from The Weekly Standard, published by News America Incorporated on November 29, 2004. The length of the article is 2453 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: American Gothic; Philip Roth pens a what-if novel: What if America had turned against the Jews?(Books & Arts)(Book Review)
Author: Stephen Schwartz
Publication: The Weekly Standard (Magazine/Journal)
Date: November 29, 2004
Publisher: News America Incorporated
Volume: 10 Issue: 11 Page: 34(4)

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Book Description

Abba Pater is a thoroughly modern message of international scope, communicating the Pope's actions and words as he undertakes the huge task of interpreting humanity's faith in God. It communicates its message in beautifully graphic images that are surprisingly cutting edge in design. An inner journey mapped out by key speeches, The Great Jubilee of 2000 was initiated as a quest for forgiveness and marks a special moment for Christians to reflect more seriously on their expression of forgiveness, reconciliation, justice, mercy and peace. For those looking for, praying about and meditating on the meaning of the Great Jubilee, this lovely book offers great insight. It is an inner journey mapped out by key excerpts from the Pope's public speeches, together with telling photographs of his mission.

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This digital document is an article from Entrepreneur, published by Entrepreneur Media, Inc. on March 1, 2005. The length of the article is 2495 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Choose your path: ready to start a retail business? Don't get stuck at the fork in the road--we've mapped out 3 different retail paths so you can choose the one that's right for you.(Startup)
Author: Nichole L. Torres
Publication: Entrepreneur (Magazine/Journal)
Date: March 1, 2005
Publisher: Entrepreneur Media, Inc.
Volume: 33 Issue: 3 Page: 114(8)

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Deals on wheels: Part 2: you've calculated dealer costs, taken your test drives, and mapped out your payments. Now you're ready to deal. : An article from: Tools of the Trade

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Deals on wheels: Part 2: you've calculated dealer costs, taken your test drives, and mapped out your payments. Now you're ready to deal. : An article from: Tools of the Trade
Michael Springer
Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Frederick Sanger;: The man who mapped out a chemical of life, (Great men of science)

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Frederick Sanger;: The man who mapped out a chemical of life, (Great men of science)
Alvin Silverstein
Manufacturer: John Day Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Chemistry | Science, Nature & How It Works | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B0006CZ76E

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Lucinda Williams : With her gorgeously ""flawed"" voice, the genre-bending singer has exquisitely mapped out the South -- as well as her own heart. A Salon.com ... Career Profile and a Salon.com Interview.
David Bowman Elizabeth Bukowski
Manufacturer: Salon.com
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

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ASIN: B00005NGOY
Release Date: 2001-07-11

Mapped In or Mapped Out? The Romanian Poor in Inter-Household and Community Networks (World Bank Working Papers) (World Bank Working Papers)

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Mapped In or Mapped Out? The Romanian Poor in Inter-Household and Community Networks (World Bank Working Papers) (World Bank Working Papers)
Maria Amelina , Dan Chiribuca , and Stephen F. Knack
Manufacturer: World Bank
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Economic Policy & Development | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 082135888X

Book Description

Mapped In or Mapped Out? is part of the World Bank Working Paper series. These papers are published to communicate the results of the Bank's ongoing research and to stimulate public discussion.

It has been observed in Central European countries in general and in Romania in particular that during transition strong social ties connecting relatives, immediate friends and associates have become stronger, while the weak ties connecting individuals and households through professional and social associations have become weaker. In this context, the poor are reported to be falling out of both types of associations.

This title analyses patterns of economic and social interactions that sustain the poor or, alternatively, isolate them yet further from other households, from the communities in which they live and, by extension, from social networks and economic opportunities. The study also assesses interactions of the poor with local and central government in terms of the level of trust and satisfaction with public officials, the level of involvement in public actions and public decision-making and the ability of local governments to respond to the needs of their poorer constituency, especially in providing social assistance and other Minimum Income Guarantee benefits.

Download Description

Mapped In or Mapped Out? is part of the World Bank Working Paper series. These papers are published to communicate the results of the Bank's ongoing research and to stimulate public discussion. It has been observed in Central European countries in general and in Romania in particular that during transition strong social ties connecting relatives, immediate friends and associates have become stronger, while the weak ties connecting individuals and households through professional and social associations have become weaker. In this context, the poor are reported to be falling out of both types of associations. This title analyses patterns of economic and social interactions that sustain the poor or, alternatively, isolate them yet further from other households, from the communities in which they live and, by extension, from social networks and economic opportunities. The study also assesses interactions of the poor with local and central government in terms of the level of trust and satisfaction with public officials, the level of involvement in public actions and public decision-making and the ability of local governments to respond to the needs of their poorer constituency, especially in providing social assistance and other Minimum Income Guarantee benefits.

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I am Mapped Out
Get this book!
Entertaining and educational
Fabulous introduction to map skills and thinking skills

Mapped Out!: The Search for Snookums
Carol Baicker-McKee
Manufacturer: Gibbs Smith Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0879057882

Customer Reviews:

I am Mapped Out.......2001-01-31

I am in fourth grade. The reason I love this book is because I love using maps. I alo like working with my mom to find a petnapped lizard. This book is recommended by me and my mom! With a "Spittsburg Street Map" you can definitly find anything you would wish for, Malls, Parks, Museums, and even Colleges! Get this book for any occasion, and your family will be "Mapped Out"

Get this book!.......2000-12-17

My step-daughter received this book for Christmas last year, and we read it over and over - every day that she was here. It was challenging, informative, and entertaining. She absolutely loved it. This is a great book that hides its educational value very well behind a very entertaining story.

Entertaining and educational.......1999-11-05

My ten-year old son loved this book. It combines an entertaining story with the need to use logic skills to solve the mystery. He can't wait for the author's next book.

Fabulous introduction to map skills and thinking skills.......1999-04-13

Mapped Out was greatly enjoyed by my almost 12-year-old daughter who considers any kind of thinking a chore, but this helped her to use her brain and kept her interested and involved. The story is engaging enough to be entertaining, but satisfied Mom's desire for an educational tool. The interactive format was the reason this is almost the only book she has ever begged to read!

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Preuss mapped out ISSCO success early. (Integrated Software Systems Corp.) (company profile): An article from: San Diego Business Journal
Jill Stewart
Manufacturer: CBJ, L.P.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

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Management | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Book Description

This digital document is an article from San Diego Business Journal, published by CBJ, L.P. on June 9, 1986. The length of the article is 926 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Preuss mapped out ISSCO success early. (Integrated Software Systems Corp.) (company profile)
Author: Jill Stewart
Publication: San Diego Business Journal (Magazine/Journal)
Date: June 9, 1986
Publisher: CBJ, L.P.
Volume: v6 Page: p9(2)

Article Type: company profile

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U.S. stroke risk mapped out down to the county level. (Atlas of Stroke Mortality).: An article from: Clinical Psychiatry News

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U.S. stroke risk mapped out down to the county level. (Atlas of Stroke Mortality).: An article from: Clinical Psychiatry News
Kevin Foley
Manufacturer: International Medical News Group
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital
ASIN: B0008DJC5I
Release Date: 2005-07-31

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Clinical Psychiatry News, published by International Medical News Group on May 1, 2003. The length of the article is 500 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: U.S. stroke risk mapped out down to the county level. (Atlas of Stroke Mortality).
Author: Kevin Foley
Publication: Clinical Psychiatry News (Magazine/Journal)
Date: May 1, 2003
Publisher: International Medical News Group
Volume: 31 Issue: 5 Page: 9(1)

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FREDERICK SANGER THE MAN WHO MAPPED OUT A CHEMICAL OF LIFE

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FREDERICK SANGER THE MAN WHO MAPPED OUT A CHEMICAL OF LIFE

Manufacturer: John Day Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000I3M9A8

Smoking Is No Laughing Matter: Butt, Have You Seen This One?
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Smoking Is No Laughing Matter: Butt, Have You Seen This One?
W. R. Spence , and Vern Herschberger
Manufacturer: Wrs Pub
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Humor | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0941539008

Book Description

12 Songs for Easy Guitar, with Tab. Titles are: Carefree Highway * Canadian Railroad Trilogy * Cotton Jenny * Early Mornin' Rain * (That's What You Get) For Lovin' Me/Did She Mention My Name * If You Could Read My Mind * Rainy Day People * Softly * Song for a Winter's Night (The Hands I Love) * Steel Rail Blues * Sundown * The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.

The New Best of Gordon Lightfoot for Guitar (Guitar Tablature Edition)

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The New Best of Gordon Lightfoot for Guitar (Guitar Tablature Edition)
Arranged by Louis Martinez
Manufacturer: Warner Brother Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000JILIC2

Product Description

12 Songs for Easy Guitar, with Tab. Titles are: Carefree Holiday * Canadian Railroad Trilogy * Cotton Jenny * Early Mornin' Rain * (That's What You Get) For Lovin' Me/Did She Mention My Name * If You Could Read My Mind * Rainy Day People * Softly * Song for a Winter's Night (The Hands I Love) * Steel Rail Blues * Sundown * The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.

Book Description

In this book, Alex Debeljak offers a refreshing alternative to postmodernists such as Baudrillard, who declare the death of art was conceived as yet another source of rootless, circulating fictions. The deterioration of bourgeois liberal individualism into the narcissism of mass society accompanied the decomposition of art into simplified mass art and commercialized kitsch. Maintaining its formal autonomy (museums, galleries, etc.), its content became the universal object of indirect corporate exploitation. Today postmodern art, argues Debeljak, is subjected to infinite reproducibility, total integration into mass society, and political resignation-no longer representing an alternative reality. The postmodern institution of art thus cannot be simply cured of modern structures and assumptions, but is, instead, fated to a continuous and painful relationship with modernity.

The Reluctant Modernism of Hannah Arendt (Modernity and Political Thought)

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This book was extremely intelligent!

The Reluctant Modernism of Hannah Arendt (Modernity and Political Thought)
Seyla Benhabib
Manufacturer: Sage Publications, Inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Textbook Binding

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ASIN: 0803938179

Book Description

Interpreting the work of one of the most influential thinkers of the 20th century, The Reluctant Modernism of Hannah Arendt rereads Arendt's political philosophy in the light of newly gained insights into the historico-cultural background of her work. Arguing against the standard interpretation of Hannah Arendt as an antimodernist lover of the Greek polis, author Seyla Benhabib contends that Arendt's thought emerges out of a double legacy: German Existenz philosophy, and particularly the thought of Martin Heidegger, and her experiences as a German-Jewess in the age of totalitarianism. Beginning with a detailed examination of Arendt's biography of Rahel Varnhagen, a German-Jewish salonniere of the 18th century, this important volume reconsiders Arendt's theory of modernity, her concept of the public sphere, her distinction between the social and the political, her theory of totalitarianism, and her critique of the modern nation-state, including her lifelong involvement with Jewish and Israeli politics. Benhabib concludes that in illuminating the issues of this century we should think "with Arendt, contra Arendt." Examining the philosophy of one of the most intriguing figures in modern political theory, The Reluctant Modernism of Hannah Arendt will be an invaluable resource for students and professionals in political science, political theory, and comparative politics. "On the now quite long shelf of Hannah Arendt studies, only a few matter. This is the one!" --Elizabeth Young-Bruehl, Harvard College "A strikingly original interpretation of Hannah Arendt that brings into the foreground the significance of Arendt's biography of Rahel Varnhagen, Arendt's concern with Jewish politics, and her attempt to understand the emergence of totalitarianism. This provides the context for a fresh reading of The Human Mind and The Life of the Mind, as well as the complex relation between Arendt and Heidegger. Anyone interested in the recent resurgence of international interest in Arendt and her relevance for contemporary political thought will find Seyla Benhabib's comprehensive and judicious analysis invaluable." --Richard J. Bernstein, Department of Philosophy, New School for Social Research, Eugene Lang College "Seyla Benhabib's remarkable and nuanced book is the first to give Hannah Arendt's ambivalent relationship to modernity the complex and critical assessment it deserves. Focusing on Arendt's philosophical debt to Martin Heidegger as well as on her efforts to confront its failure by extending his insights to the political realm, Benhabib situates Arendt's thinking at the crossroads between existential phenomenology and her experience as a Jewish exile in the age of totalitarianism. She demonstrates that Arendt's work is most productively read as a rich reflection on the ways that the modern world gives rise to paradoxical experiences of the outsider and the insider and equality and difference, culminating the achievement of The Origins of Totalitarianism. Written with force and clarity, this study is indispensable for any serious encounter with Arendt's thought." --Anson Rabinbach, Princeton University "A brilliant, historically sensitive and deeply sympathetic but not at all uncritical account of the entire range of Arendt's thought. It weaves its way through Arendt's personal experiences, philosophical influences, and cultural context with remarkable subtlety and ease. Few books on Arendt offer a more vivid and reliable account of the unity of her life and thought." --Bhikhu Parekh, Visiting Professor, Harvard University

Customer Reviews:

This book was extremely intelligent!.......1999-02-09

Seyla Benhabib is an amazing thinker known throught the world. She displays her intelligence and knowledge through this book.

Book Description

This guide has been completely updated with all of the latest technological advances to provide an exciting, alternative approach to teaching first-year television production to high school students. A combination of class instruction and independent video action projects based on the concept of thematic mapping prepares students for a year-end video competition. The projects borrow knowledge from other academic subject areas to teach media and visual literacy, broadcast history, video production skills, and multimedia animation. Available in both teacher and student editions.

The Advent of the Algorithm: The 300-Year Journey from an Idea to the Computer
Average customer rating:

More like Gödel's Proof, Context and Aftermath -- a different tack (than Nagel's "Gödel's Proof"), than much about algorithms

Does Mathematics Support Darwin or Intelligent Design?

Beware Uninitiated Reader, Better used as a firestarter.

OK for those interested in 'nontechnical history of ideas'.

An Eccentric and Yet Fascinating Book

The Advent of the Algorithm: The 300-Year Journey from an Idea to the Computer
David Berlinski
Manufacturer: Harvest Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0156013916

Amazon.com

Francis Sullivan of the Institute for Defense Analysis said "Great algorithms are the poetry of computation"; David Berlinski calls the algorithm "the idea that rules the world." The Advent of the Algorithm is not so much a history of algorithms as a historical fantasia. Berlinski spins freely between semifictional accounts of historical figures, personal reminiscence, and mathematical proofs--without ever really defining an algorithm in so many words.

This is not the book for those who were maddened by Berlinski's A Tour of the Calculus; his style remains quirky, digressive, self-referential, and dense:

And then, by some inscrutable incandescent insight, Leibniz came to see that what is crucial in what he had written is the alternation between God and Nothingness. And for this, the numbers 0 and 1 suffice.
Twinkies and Diet Coke in hand, computer programmers can now be observed pausing thoughtfully at their consoles.

Berlinski's argument seems to be that algorithms--step-by-step procedures for getting answers--superceded logic, and will be superceded in turn by more biological, empirical, fuzzy methods. The structure of the book reflects this argument--sketches of people like Leibniz, Hilbert, Gödel, and Turing are interwoven with proofs and with characters of Berlinski's own invention. Berlinski's voice, closer to Hofstadter than to Knuth, remains unique. --Mary Ellen Curtin

Book Description

Simply put, an algorithm is a set of instructions-it's the code that makes computers run. A basic idea that proved elusive for hundreds of years and bent the minds of the greatest thinkers in the world, the algorithm is what made the modern world possible. Without the algorithm, there would have been no computer, no Internet, no virtual reality, no e-mail, or any other technological advance that we rely on every day.
In The Advent of the Algorithm, David Berlinski combines science, history, and math to explain and explore the intriguing story of how the algorithm was finally discovered by a succession of mathematicians and logicians, and how this paved the way for the digital age. Beginning with Leibniz and culminating in the middle of the twentieth century with the groundbreaking work of Gödel and Turing, The Advent of the Algorithm is an epic tale told with clarity and imaginative brilliance.

Customer Reviews:

More like Gödel's Proof, Context and Aftermath -- a different tack (than Nagel's "Gödel's Proof"), than much about algorithms.......2006-07-07

Other reviewers have said many useful things. The main point you must know is that this book is a rather flowery text that goes in many different directions, but parts -- large parts! -- are very informative and make clear to you some very important ideas. Let me quote the best, on-target, portions of other reviewers:

Reviewer, Michael Wischmeyer in his 'Fascinating Look at a Difficult Topic - But Eclectic' writes as follows:
" Notwithstanding the occasional flights of fancy, 'The Advent of the Algorithm' is indeed 'a work of scholarship'. Clarity characterizes most technical sections, but careful reading is still necessary. The technical sections include... If you do undertake this venture, my suggestion is to accept Berlinski as a capable and experienced tour guide. His interests may not always coincide with yours, but the tour will be memorable. Berlinski has created a unique book about a difficult subject. Substantial sections clearly deserve five stars. I give it four stars overall."

Reviewer, David B Richman in his 'An Eccentric and Yet Fascinating Book' writes as follows:
"Many reviewers have reason to criticize his eccentric writing style and digressions, which do not clarify as much as one would like. ... Still, I found this book quite fascinating. For that reason I gave it four stars, when I might have given it three. For one thing (as noted by an earlier reviewer,) Berlinski's descriptions of Gödel, Turing, von Neumann and other logicians and mathematicians are very good. For another I have to admit that I sort of liked the digressions! ... This book is worth reading for the scattered gems, although the average reader may have a bit of a time finding them! Still with some effort they can be found."

I might add that some of those gems are an alternative context explanation of Gödel's theorems to Nagel's book "Gödel's Proof" (ISBN 0814758169). There's no discrepancy; both books agree about the context of Gödel's proof -- just different emphases and styles (though it must be admitted "Gödel's Proof" is the more thorough). Another gem of "The Advent of the Algorithm", though, is the discussions of how others took Gödels results and metaphorically "ran with them". In fact this last notion is what I think is best about the book.

Finally, the book is much less on algorithms or even the concept of an algorithm than you would guess -- although, true, it is the overarching umbrella that becomes more and more explicit as you proceed to later parts of the book. But don't get the book to learn about algorithms. That's not it's purpose at all! A better purpose would be as a different tack to approach Gödel's theorems, their context and their aftermath than provided by Nagel's "Gödel's Proof".

Does Mathematics Support Darwin or Intelligent Design?.......2006-06-22

Mathematician David Berlinski explains how the "algorithm" is sure to play a major role in the future of mathematics. An algorithm, Berlinski explains, is essentially a logical, mathematical procedure by which a goal can be accomplished in a finite number of steps.

After recounting the origin of the algorithm within mathematics, Berlinski explains that it is the algorithm which has made possible the physical sciences. Turning his attention to molecular biology, and the genetic code specifically, Berlinski notes that algorithms are required to convert information from one set of symbols, the genetic code, into another set, the proteins. Berlinski believes these strings of information are far richer than analogous strings of information we find in say, a novel: "while Tolstoy's Anna Karenina can only suggest the woman, her black hair swept into a chignon, the same message, carrying the same meaning, when read by the right biochemical agencies, can bring the woman to vibrant and complaining life, reading now restored to its rightful place as a supreme act of creation" (pg. 290-291).

Berlinski concludes on a philosophical note. While materialists like Steven Weinberg believe the universe is "pointless," other thinkers in history, such as William Paley, believe that the complexity of the natural world require us to ask deeper questions. Intelligence, Berlinski believes, can be explained by algorithm. This is seen in that the intelligence which authored his book (if Berlinski would consider himself intelligent) was created via the algorithms which convert DNA-information to living, breathing assemblies of proteins.

From whence did this algorithm come? Berlinski analogizes from the reasoning of Kurt Gödel, who saw that law and chance alone would not be expected to produce an increase in complexity. Darwin's theory using blind natural selection acting upon chance mutations cannot account for the complexity of life as it has developed over time. Berlinski thinks that the rapid origin of biological complexity might require a process of "careful coordination and intelligent design" (pg. 321). Thus, science would be best to use the explanatory tools of law, chance, and the algorithm, which he calls "an intelligent artifact" (pg. 325). Applying Gödel's logic, complexity cannot be derived entirely from something simple. Complexity can be shifted, transferred, but the complexity in the universe can never provide a complete explanation for its own origin.

Beware Uninitiated Reader, Better used as a firestarter........2006-04-25

Upon reading the Preface and Introduction I can't believe my eyes. I have seen english comp 101 papers with more clarity than Berlinski.

I am interested in all types of science and lately Genetic Algorithms have peaked my interest; but after my brief journey with Berlinski's prose I'm feeling carsick from the yo-yo inebriated turn of phrase.

I suppose this book is redeeming in the fact that it attemts to explain the vast complexity and neccessity of the algorithm, but for one who enjoys syntax and sentence elegance this book leaves a bitter taste for the next scientific read.

If you don't know about algorithms already, I suggest you look desperately for another book before you become frustrated at Berlinski's. If already know about algorithms, this may be a brilliant read for you.

OK for those interested in 'nontechnical history of ideas'........2005-07-05

UPGRADE to 2 1/2 stars. Wordy discussion of historical figures with some relation to algorithms. Little information about any actual algorithms. I retract my previous review (1 star) because that regarded this book as an algorithms book, but it is more of a general interest book that I probably would have liked when I was in highschool.

An Eccentric and Yet Fascinating Book.......2005-07-02

David Berlinski certainly was not an English major; his book often rambles, he goes on lengthy side trips and his discussions with his editor and agent can be irritating to anyone wanting to understand the subject of his book "The Advent of the Algorithm." Many reviewers have reason to criticize his eccentric writing style and digressions, which do not clarify as much as one would like.

Still, I found this book quite fascinating. For that reason I gave it four stars, when I might have given it three. For one thing (as noted by an earlier reviewer,) Berlinski's descriptions of Gödel, Turing, von Neumann and other logicians and mathematicians are very good. For another I have to admit that I sort of liked the digressions! The story by "Irving" (I think that he means Isaac- the editing is somewhat uneven!) Bashevis Singer certainly had little to do with mathematics or algorithms, but it was an interesting discourse on the difficulties of argumentative logic! Now if Berlinski had only followed his editor's advice and made the book flow better! He certainly has the knowledge of his subject to do so. Perhaps algorithms require a unique mind to really understand them! Perhaps he is in some way saying this, but he does beat around the bush a bit in the process!

I do tend to agree with him about the difficulties in transferring human thought into mathematical formulae. Mathematics can do a lot and it is possible that someone may find a way to develop such a perfect mathematical theory or description of the human brain, but I doubt it. The same can be said of the universe itself. That is the reason that there is some room for religion, even if it is not quite as grandiose a realm as early theologians might have thought. In addition I would worry that if such a theory is possible, humans could not be trusted with it.

This book is worth reading for the scattered gems, although the average reader may have a bit of a time finding them! Still with some effort they can be found.

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