Christian Nation

By: Frederic C. Rich

Narrated by: Oliver Wyman

“They said what they would do, and we did not listen. Then they did what they said they would do.”

So ends the first chapter of this brilliantly listenable counterfactual novel, reminding us that America’s Christian fundamentalists have been consistently clear about their vision for a "Christian Nation" and dead serious about acquiring the political power to achieve it. When President McCain dies and Sarah Palin becomes president, the listener, along with the nation, stumbles down a terrifyingly credible path toward theocracy, realizing too late that the Christian right meant precisely what it said.

In the spirit of Philip Roth’s The Plot Against America, one of America’s foremost lawyers lays out in chilling detail what such a future might look like: Constitutional protections dismantled; all aspects of life dominated by an authoritarian law called “The Blessing,” enforced by a totally integrated digital world known as the "Purity Web." Listeners will find themselves haunted by the questions the narrator struggles to answer in this fictional memoir: "What happened, why did it happen, and how could it have happened?"

©2013 Frederic C. Rich (P)2013 Audible, Inc.

Today is June 22, 2025

I'm writing this review on the day Donald Trump bombed Iran.

The major divergence in our timeline is the rise of an even bigger predator - the tech oligarchs, who appear to be chasing the hyenas of evangelicism and corporatists away from the American carcass they're mauling.

great book great narrator

enjoyed this book. listen to it on my commute and got into it very quickly. narrator has a great voice too.

A mix of Handmaid’s Tale and 1984

What a staggeringly, gripping and terrifyingly brilliant novel. Grips you at every turn. And mixes both The Handmaid’s Tale and 1984 in a novel more scary than any horror tale. An absolute must.

Yeah, it can happen here.

This novel, while alternative historical fiction, is a terrifyingly frank and realistic glimpse into what will happen if Christofascism, or Christian nationalism, or dominionism, or whatever you prefer to call it, is allowed to gain anymore power in either DC or the various states. The ongoing far right attempts to criminalize abortion and gay and trans rights in an attempt to perpetuate a culture war are a prime example of this. Theocracy like what is described in this novel is a very real and ongoing threat, making this novel prescient if we are not careful.

You will either love or hate this book

If you love this book - you will also be very scared. I guess if you hate this book you would be hopeful that it's story might come to pass.

Scary Yet Engrossing

Any additional comments?

This was an incredibly good book. All of it seemed so plausible. In fact, at one point while I was listening to it, my wife (who had only heard a few minutes of it) asked me if it was fiction or non-fiction. This is one of those books that some people will hate and others will love, so listen to it with an open mind. You'll find it an engrossing tale of where we could be headed as a country, or perhaps a cautionary one.

prescient?

Never have I read a more moving or provocative book. Sanjay lives. Free minds stay the course.

So Real

This is happening with a different theory but is happening. Most prolific political book in the last 25 years!!! Read, Listen and opine. A MUST read!!

A rather hectoring polemic

I listened because I am interested in fundamentalism, but did not enjoy it.
This is not a well-crafted story, and reads, instead, as an attempt to educate readers / listeners about Christian nationalism.

If you are looking for a parallel universe along the lines of The Handmaid’s Tale, you’ll be disappointed: the emphasis is on information, rather than evocation. However, if you are simply interested in the subject and willing to be lectured on subjects you already know about, you may find it adequately entertaining.

Just read 1984

This was the first book in as long as I can remember that I have not actually been able to finish. Just read George Orwell's 1984 and be done with it. At least Orwell wrote with a touch of subtlety and art in the message. The dogmatic spoon-feeding of Christian Nation is just too much to stand for the length of the book. After all, this is supposed to be a novel, not a blog post.

Please note, I do not disagree with the point of view from which the book is written, only the method of delivery.