Super Short Summary

It Can’t Happen Here by Sinclair Lewis depicts the rise of a fascist dictatorship in America, narrated from the perspective of Doremus Jessup, a newspaper owner-editor in Vermont, who transitions from a skeptical observer to an active resistance member, facing significant personal hardships. The story explores how a charismatic leader exploits economic turmoil to gain power, dismantling democratic institutions and violently suppressing dissent, emphasizing the need for political awareness and resistance to demagoguery. The novel contains depictions of violence, persecution, and totalitarian brutality.