Note: This review is a little different than my usual ones, as it deals with a political satire that takes explicit aim at the idea that the U.S. is immune to fascism. Some other reviewers have claimed that the book feels as relevant today as it did in the 1930s, so if you are uninterested in this kind of content, feel free to skip this one.
It’s 1930s America, and fascism is spreading through Europe. But never fear, because Senator Berzelius “Buzz” Windrip has a plan for restoring the United States to its former strength and glory by leaning into the ideas that made it strong in the first place: a sense of individualism, honoring the family home, and enforcing strong boundaries between itself and the rest of the world, using any means necessary to do it. Clearly, these are common sense moves from someone who has the hearts of the people, so much so that Windrip unseats incumbent Franklin Delano Roosevelt for the Democratic presidential ticket. Surely, little could go wrong, even as Windrip appoints a paramilitary force of ardent supporters to help keep the peace, right? Newspaper editor Doremous Jessup believes there has to be, but it’s not clear if he’ll be able to convince enough people the sky is falling before fascism comes to the shores of the United States as well.
It Can’t Happen Here by Sinclair Lewis is a satirical novel that takes umbrage with the idea that the U.S. body politic is inherently immune to the draw of fascist ideology. Being written almost one hundred years ago, it was based on the rise of the Nazi party in Germany, which Lewis’s wife at the time was reporting on before being thrown out of the country. The novel models Windrip’s policies on the Nazi platform, and Jessup is suspicious from the outset of Windrip’s claims that these policies are inherently democratic because the U.S. simply can’t abide anything but democracy. Yet, no one listens to Jessup, even as Windrip’s rise to power enables him to suspend Congress, imprison its members, and adopt many of the approaches Nazis used in Germany during the first part of the 20th century leading up to World War II.
For Casual Readers
In the interest of transparency, It Can’t Happen Here is a hefty novel that is at times amusing for its wit and the satirical flourishes that Lewis employs, but it might be a heavier read than I typically recommend because it explicitly makes the case that fascism can happen anywhere that people believe they are somehow immune from it. The novel’s designed to point to how institutions are only as good as the people who operate them, and how populism — as attractive as it might sometimes seem — largely results in abuses of power and civil rights rather than reform.
For that reason, the novel is likely best suited to students interested in political satire or literary movements of the early 20th century, but it could also appeal to anyone who wants to find out a little more about why maintaining democracy is always a full time job.
For Writers
Lewis’s book provides many valuable lessons for writers looking to improve their satirical abilities, because while the novel may not make a modern reader laugh out loud, Lewis is immensely clever with his play on words and characterization so that it can come across as humorous. Since it is an older form of satire, it’s worth building on the book’s lessons with more modern takes rather than copying it directly.
It Can’t Happen Here would also provide valuable insights for anyone looking to write political satire as Lewis has an incredible ability of peeling back layers of a society to highlight the tiny details that feel innocuous in everyday conversation, but have massive impacts when carried forward along the logical conclusions, which can be an asset for this kind of social commentary.
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Next Up: The Man Who Died Twice by Richard Osman
A Final Note
The Coffeehouse Creative is a place to flex creative muscle while working on other projects. That means that alongside book reviews, you’re likely to find:
Travel pieces that have brought joy the writer’s life
Reflections on writing and the life that it brings with it
Recommendations on marketing and management practices
Notes from a graduate student looking to survive the studies
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