Christian Nation: A Novel
In 2029, Greg sits at a simple typewriter, the last vestige of technology not under the government’s watchful eyes, to record the series of events that led to the creation of an American theocracy. That history starts with John McCain winning the 2008 presidential election only to die suddenly and leave Sarah Palin as commander-in-chief. When terrorists attack toward the end of Palin’s unexpected first term, few citizens are alarmed at her declaration of martial law. What follows, though, is the steady takeover of the country by the Radical Right, and neither Greg nor the resistance movement he works for can stop the rebirth of America as a totalitarian, Christian nation. The systematic transformation is forbidding in its plausibility as each step toward authoritarian rule is heavily documented by Rich’s expert legal explanations. Though the technical details get tedious at times, the story is given a note of warmth by threads of heroism and friendship. Read as a cautionary tale or a terrifying what-if, this dystopian alternate reality makes riveting, provocative reading. --Cortney Ophoff