American Zeroes

by John DiFelice

A huge, brutish man accuses his neighbors of being terrorists without offering any proof. A short, bald man who wants nothing more than to restore Russia to its former glory pulls the brute's strings. Is this about current events? No, this was written more than a year before Trump announced his candidacy and it was published four months before his election to office. It is about Jeremiah Stumpf, a man who shuns facts in favor of fiction and thinks he and he alone can save the United States of America. But who will save the United States from him?

Genres: Fiction

242 pages, Paperback

Published June 27, 2016

About the author

John DiFelice was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His childhood was filled with hilarious adventures, colorful characters, and he’s not allowed to write about any of it because his parents, similar to Holden Caulfield’s, would have two conniptions apiece if he revealed anything remotely personal. Instead, he learned to make things up, which led to his love of writing fiction. This was, in fact, his third attempt to write this paragraph.

After writing a really bad, Gen-Xer, angst-ridden novel in his mid-twenties, he didn’t write anything for a long time because he was so ashamed. That changed when he joined a sketch comedy troupe in Philadelphia and wrote sketches for an original monthly show. During that time he had two full-length comedies produced off-Broad Street, and had a short story published in a collection called "South Philly Fiction" (Don Ron Books, 2013). His debut novel, "American Zeroes," was published in July 2016, and for a time was #1 in the Kindle Store in the Satire category.

John lives in Philadelphia with his wife and son. He is working on his second novel called "Traffic Girl Wars."

Reviews

[donna backshall · Rating 4 out of 5]

We all have that one friend who has insanely controversial views, who trusts no one, who is a card-carrying conspiracy theorist, and who can't manage to keep his mouth shut, even when it makes him his own worst enemy. It's not easy to identify with the extremism of Jeremiah, the main character, nor is it a particularly enjoyable ride on his dangerously xenophobic wave to insanity island. But it's a compelling journey, especially in light of recent US political events. (And no, if the aftermath of the election worries you, this novel will not help you sleep better at night!)

If you're looking for a smart, well-constructed, darkly humorous and provocative novel, American Zeroes should be next on your reading list.

Many thanks to the author, John DiFelice, for the opportunity to listen to a free copy of his audiobook and give it an honest review.

[Yvonne Malloy · Rating 5 out of 5]

American Zeroes is well written and timely. It is both frightening and insightful. The author captures your attention and forces you to pay attention as he masterfully negotiates reality, fantasy, and drug induced hallucinations. I found myself both terrified for the future of the country and hopeful that the crazies are not as large a group as they appear to be!

[Joe Quirk · Rating 5 out of 5]

A bizarrely funny,  philosophical and oftentimes sobering read.

Let me be clear, this is not the type of novel I usually read.   I'm a sci-fi / fantasy nerd, but I found this a fully immersive change of pace.  

American Zeroes puts you in the head of a self-aggrandizing suburbanite that fully expects to be disenfranchised by his government at any moment. And it's a FASCINATING study of self-dellusion that mirrors today's xenophobic social leanings.  

Trust me, you know someone or know OF someone that's this guy's real-life counterpart.

So that's the book's vehicle,  but you can't predict the twists and turns American Zeroes takes.

Swinging from surreal to thrilling to bizarre, there are little pearls of wonderful sprinkled throughout, where the author peels back the ho-hum everyday and uncovers its black underbelly, while remembering to reveal precious specks of humanity in its most depraved  situations.  The supporting characters that color the story are poignant and/or hilarious, guiding our "hero"  through confrontations he seeks but is woefully unprepared for.

[Tim Jin · Rating 4 out of 5]

John DiFelice is a brilliant writer. At first, I really thought that he was a far right Republican, bashing our current administration, but then I understand the satire in "American Zeroes" with his main character going on a drug trip and getting ready for a fictional doomsday. There is a lot of Ayn rand's reference, which I don't standby at all, but understand the concept for this book.

DiFelice combines pop cultures, terrorism, and his view of the United States is very humorous at times. "American Zeroes" is not a punch in your face political propaganda, but it is more like a time capsule of what has been going on since 9/11. Very well written and extremely clever. Instead of thumping us on the head with political rhetoric, John wrote his views on what is going on in our society by writing a fictional story.

[Sagar Shirodkar · Rating 3 out of 5]

First things first "Thank you Goodreads and John DiFelice for the book "

Enjoyed reading the book which is majorly based on a citizen post 9/11 consumed by LSD and how dangerous the current political climate and American beliefs are.

The book is intelligent, insightful and the writers sharp wit kept me laughing at times. Jeremiah Stumpf the main character of the book gives us a poignant 24 hour journey of the dangers and complications that exist in our world, government, and society today .
This is a very timely and entertaining read given the current US election drama of 2016.

[Syndi Day · Rating 4 out of 5]

i was the lucky winner of a copy of this novel through a goodreads win. it is a very complex novel involving lots of conspiracy theory and political intrigue. the main character is a bit paranoid and self absorbed. this is a very thought provoking book that gives a good view of the government and what is going wrong with it. syndi

[J Earl · Rating 5 out of 5]

In American Zeroes John DiFelice offers an over-the-top but insightful commentary on some of the extreme thinking (using that term loosely here) taking place on the right in the United States. While there are likely a few people who really are as out of touch as Jeremiah this is less a portrayal of a "typical" extreme right-winger as it is a mash-up of all the worst the extreme right has to offer all rolled up into one sorry excuse for a human being. I was torn between 4 and 5 stars but after seeing the spineless give one star without any explanation I went with 5 stars to counter their cowardice.

While this will no doubt be more humorous to those on the left I don't think there is a lot that someone on the right (I'm excluding the fringe Trumpenfurters here since they may well see a lot of themselves in here) would take too personal. The views expressed by Jeremiah are the fringe ideas taken to their obvious extremes, when the lunatics are encouraged and validated there is no way to tell exactly what they will do. But these ideas as expressed here are all used to illustrate the rational and moral flaws inherent to them by taking them to their extremes. If you take offense to this book then perhaps you should re-think what you think and why you think it. Actual conservative views are not lampooned here, just the extreme anti-social right.

I would recommend this book to just about everyone, though all for different reasons. For those of us on the left, it is funny (and a bit sad) to see such extremes lampooned and the protagonist, in his few moments of near enlightenment, decide those reasonable thoughts (such as commonalities between humans) must be mistaken. For conservatives I think it will let them see just what the differences are between conservative thought and fringe hate-group right wing rhetoric. They will likely laugh some but will also perhaps see what they are largely now being associated with. For the fringe on either side it should be fireworks, from the "I knew they were all like that" to "how dare DiFelice portray Jeremiah's good ideas in such a negative way."

Reviewed from a copy made available through Goodreads First Reads.

[Kingsley · Rating 4 out of 5]

American Zeroes is a fun, amusing satire full of the sort of people you would hate to be stuck in a room with. These are not likable people - you have been warned.

The main character, Jeremiah Stumpf, is 100% sure that the way he sees the world is completely right, he is never at fault, and that everyone loves him. He's an over the top version of the worst stereotypes of post-9/11 Americans you can imagine - arrogant, jingoistic, xenophobic and sure that USA can do no wrong. Oh, and all Arab looking people must be terrorists. He's a smart guy, clearly reads a lot and quotes stuff, but he just has no wisdom to go with that knowledge, and no ability to see outside his very tiny, tunnel vision view of things.
Many of the side characters - mostly Stumpf's friends - are not much better.

John DiFelice write well, giving us both characters that are easy to dislike, but also in a way that allows for the reader to want to keep going. He put's his character into positions (accidental drug stupors, for one) that provide strange but entertaining outcomes. The satire is good, and the story never gets bogged down.

It is over the top, and in some ways using extreme stereotypes, but despite that is still seems (from an outsiders POV) to be a reasonably accurate description of the worst of the post-9/11 state of America.

Narration by Joe quirk is top-notch. Different voices (and accents) for characters. Inflection and timing is great. Easy to follow along are enjoyable to listen to. I look forward to more of his stuff.

I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.

[Mark Knight · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read AMERICAN ZEROS as an ebook & couldn't resist dipping into it on various commutes.
It's laugh-out-loud satire at first - & the laughs keep coming. But the laughs hide the viciously sharp edge of Difelice's observations of the USA's messy morality: he cuts to the heart of how confused our country is. But he's not really being vicious. He's being truthful - which of course can be just as painful. But the humour & the craziness have depth & heart. Read it. Now.
https://www.amazon.com/American-Zeroe...
Full disclosure: I know the author John DiFelice as colleague & friend having worked with him as an actor, playwright & comedian. I had no idea that his talent extended to being a brilliant novelist.

[Cozy Chair · Rating 5 out of 5]

Timely, scary and thought-provoking. This political novel at various times made me laugh out loud, cringe uncomfortably, and worry seriously about the future of the United States. The main character grapples with fears of terrorism and conspiracy theories, touts the democratic and libertarian principles of the founding fathers, and exposes his own xenophobia and narcissism while trying to make sense of it all - sound like anyone you've seen running for office lately? The supporting characters supply comic relief as well as voices of reason and/or insanity. The writing is crisp, dark and funny. Definitely recommending this to others.

[J.N. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got my copy of American Zeroes trough a Goodreads giveaway, thank you so much!!

I was really scared to go into this story, you just know you are not going to enjoy/agree with what the main characters are going to say and do, but I found myself laughing a their crazy from beggining to end. I think I would describe them as endearingly crazy. I usually don't like political novels but I enjoyed so many things in this one, the writing, the characters, the crazy situations they got in, and a lot more. It definitely left me thinking and can't believe how timely it is, everyone should read it for sure!