Audio Book Review: It Can't Happen Here by Sinclair Lewis

This vintage (1935) dystopian is still relevant to current events.

It Can't Happen Here
by Sinclair Lewis
Read by Grover Gardner

Run Time 14h 28min
Release Date: July 5, 2016
Publisher: Blackstone Audio
Genre: Classics, Dystopian, Science Fiction
My Rating: 4.0 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.0; Narration 4.0.

Publisher Description
First published in 1935, when Americans were still largely oblivious to the rise of Hitler in Europe, this prescient novel tells a cautionary tale about the fragility of democracy and offers an alarming, eerily timeless look at how fascism could take hold in America.
Doremus Jessup, a newspaper editor, is dismayed to find that many of the people he knows support presidential candidate Berzelius Windrip. The suspiciously fascist Windrip is offering to save the nation from sex, crime, welfare cheats, and a liberal press. But after Windrip wins the election, dissent soon becomes dangerous for Jessup. Windrip forcibly gains control of Congress and the Supreme Court and, with the aid of his personal paramilitary storm troopers, turns the United States into a totalitarian state.

Review:
Doremus Jessup is a smallish town newspaper editor in New England (Vermont) in the 1930s. He is upset when so many people support presidential candidate Berzeliur Windrip who is offering better than a chicken in every pot. Windrip is offering $5,000.00 per person. After Windrip wins, he removes Supreme Court Justices that don’t support his policies and takes control of Congress too. There is no free money. And there is no free speech either. Very soon any grumbling and news opinions speaking out against the government is being squelched.

Doremus is removed from his position but forced to remain in the office to train a Windrip picked new editor in the ropes of publishing. Of course, it is also a way to keep Doremus quiet.

Slowly members of Doremus family and community are impacted. His son-in-law is murdered for speaking out, leaving his daughter festering for revenge. But many in the community accept the new local government, including the brown shirted military that is present to keep the people in line.

Eventually Doremus is recruited to aid an underground effort to revolt against the fascist policies of Windrip. A handful of locals are printing underground news and distributing it out to other disgruntled communities across the northeast. The group is at risk since there are spies, even from their neighbors. An attempt to escape to Canada falls through and Doremus and his cohorts end up in a local jail /camp for dissenters.

The story includes “sheeple” and minor, individual heroics. It includes commentary on historical forms of government which is informative. I didn’t find the book particularly exciting, but it was interesting. And it is even more interesting that it was written before WWII and the rise of Hitler.

This text from this vintage work is still timely as in today’s world you hear unrealistic promises in campaigns, and you see censorship of free speech even by supposed journalists. It made me wonder how this could happen, but when you see people willing to rely so much on government that they give up freedoms and rights. This story was satire, but today it is scary and distressing. I recommend this classic to readers who are willing to read about how fascism and censorship can be used to change society.

Audio Notes: I have enjoyed Grover Gardner’s narration in many different works. His dry delivery fit well with this story. I’m glad I had the opportunity to listen to this classic.

Source: 7/10/19 Chirp Purchase $3.99. This qualifies for 2022TBR and 2022Audiobook goals.