There was a time when I was a fan of Irving Wallace, and the type of thrillers he produced. I read this during that time, in the early eighties, and was enthralled. It is the story of a proposed amendment to the US constitution, to suspend the Bill of Rights during times of "national emergency". This was originally published the year after Indira Gandhi declared a national emergency in India, so I think Wallace got the idea from there.

It is taut, fast-paced and the denouement is appropriately satisfying. But please don't show this book to the Trump administration - it might give them practical ideas. And in reality, there may not be any happy endings.9 s Civilisation ? Freedom of Speech968 269

Societies prefer any type of order to chaos. - (probably) Steven Pinker in Enlightenment now
If you pluck the chicken (of liberal democracy) one feather at a time, people dont notice - Mussolini
What matters more for a nation, liberty or security ?
In this novel, an increase in crime rates that includes attacks on the White House prompts the director of FBI to devise the "35th Amendment". The said amendment gives the authority to those in power to revoke the "Bill of Rights" in an emergency. And with just the casting vote of California left, it is a race against time for both sides. As a thriller it clicks because of its pace and twists, and it has depth as the author really seems to believe in the cause and weaves in interesting history titbits and scenarios.
"The Man", Irving Wallace got his characters right. Often the greatest damage is done not by those seeking power for the sake of it, but by those who truly believe they are the supreme patriots and theirs is the only way to make "________ great again." To me, personally, the only patriots are those who build strong institutions and who deepen the faith of the people in the rule of law.
Will be taking a break from Wallace now, but will be reading more by him surely.7 s Jerry (Rebel With a Massive Media Library)4,788 72

Though political thrillers aren't usually my thing, I enjoyed this one. The plot was rather convoluted, the heroes were admirable, and the villain utterly despicable.5 s rishu3

meh1 Jimmy18 5

Irving Wallace, along with Robert Ludlum and a few others in the 1960s, 70s and 80s, had the knack for producing best-selling, compelling, page-turners, often about hot-button social or political issues. Idly scanning a friend's bookshelf recently, I found myself pulling out "The R Document" and perusing the first few pages. Of course, I was immediately engrossed and had to see it through to the end.

On the one hand, these political thrillers should not be underestimated. Their authors' skills with regard to story, structure, pacing, and immediate access to their characters minds and motivations, make the best of these novels deserving of success, even admiration. (and envy from lesser-known authors)

On the other hand, the plots strain credibility and logic more often than not, everything is spelled out for the reader, with little left to the imagination, and the characters are ultimately one dimensional, black and white, lacking in human complexity. Plus, in Irving Wallace's case, the required sex scenes of this genre are beyond his abilities. "Their coupling was long and frenzied," he informs us, and that’s about as “hot” as things get. Later on, our hero is shocked when it is revealed that his wife might have participated in "nude sex orgies." (Are there any other kind?)

But Wallace is not out to titillate us, he means to warn us, even frighten us, about what can happen when societal fear, of rampant crime in this case, leads to proposals by some hardliners in our government, to sacrifice our precious rights for the benefits of law and order, until all rights are superceded by emergency measures. He shows us how easily this can happen if you and I are not vigilant.

The director of the FBI wants to enforce these special measures, the Attorney-General is not so sure. The US population is divided, but as murders and other chicanery and dirty tricks mount, especially for those who oppose this new amendment, it becomes crucial to discover the contents of the mysterious “R Document” which might expose what the proposers really have in mind.

This post-Watergate tale from 1976 has parallels to recent history when, during the Bush administration, it seemed that any dissent against war or other measures, was quashed and crushed and labeled unpatriotic, where careers were destroyed and lying was justified. As in 1976, so in 2006. Irving Wallace had a serious purpose in mind: to educate the general public about our hard won rights, where they originated, and how easily they could disappear. That lesson is relevant in any decade.
1 Luellen Gilmore31 2

If you want to read a very scary book, this is it. It is not scary as in vampires and other paranormal stuff. This is scary in that it can happen and is happening right now. For anyone who values freedom, this book is a must read.1 Zare1,194 14

This novel is very much in line with the stories "Seven days in May" only difference being [and this is applicable also to modern thrillers where antagonists are either terrorists from all over the world or standard Cold War [] Russia] that main concern here is not external enemy but internal one - crime.

We follow acting Attorney General Christopher Collins as he slowly (and entirely by accident) comes across a conspiracy that aims at changing the way country works using raising crime rates as a pretext.

It is a scary book - not as much because of the plot but because of the possibility. People trust their elected officials for guidance and if officials abuse their power (or are intentionally misled in their actions) then people will end up in a situation where they become oppressed party. Interesting thing here is that their oppressors [who are doing what they are doing always under the pretense of helping people] are now surprised because did not that same people vote for their current state of affairs - so why are they raising their voice now, are they the rebellious element of society? Dictators rarely see themselves as despots - they see themselves as parental figures (yes there were female dictators too through history) who guide their people because these people is always viewed by dictators as children that do not know better and need their's [dictator's] guidance at all times (famous excuse).

Very good book. Unfortunately it is also as relevant today as it was in 1970's when it was initially published.crime criminal current-politics ...more Supriyo Chaudhuri145 8

I wanted to take a break from reading and hence picked up this Irving Wallace book from the 70s. Of course, the plot looks well-worn - were there not so many movies around the always endangered American freedom - and dated too, as no one hacks emails but rather send technicians to bug phones etc. Yet, this is one of those books I couldn't drop till I finished - and one I could read on Tube Journeys and even in the rush hour train on my way back home. And, frankly, I knew where the story was going - one always knows with those books - and yet, this was never predictable. Every time one could see a possible resolution, it ended in disappointment, ending in a completely unpredictable, though somewhat fantastical, fashion. I am now completely refreshed and go back to reading social history of Victorian England.political-fiction Mari Pacheco509 28

Foi extremamente bizarro ler um livro de 1978 com um enredo tão extremamente relevante atualmente, em pleno 2018. Me senti em um episódio de Arquivo X (I Want to Believe!), mas exatamente por isso, que recomendo que você procure por essa joia rara naquele sebo amigo: é mesmo impressionante.
Não quero estragar a surpresa, mas vou te contar que o enredo trata de uma conspiração para adulterar a imprensa e conseguir apoio público para uma aprovação de lei que, basicamente, transformava uma democracia em um governo autoritário, com direito a, inclusive, campos de concentração.
Como eu disse, bizarro.
Leiam e me contem se também traçaram os paralelos ou eu que estou assistindo muitos documentários de teoria da conspiração...mistery owned-books Nancy821 5

Certainly the book is dated (1976 copyright). The frequency of a character lighting a cigarette is striking, especially for the pregnant wife. Just as interesting, though, is the similarity of issues and liberal vs. conservative views, then and now. The new attorney general seems somewhat naive in the beginning, and willing to bend in order to fit in with the president and the FBI director. In order to deal with a national crime wave, the administration is pushing for the adoption of a 35th amendment to the constitution, which would allow the suspension of the Bill of Rights in the case of a national emergency. The plot quickly thickens, as a nefarious plot is suspected by the attorney general. Robert DayAuthor 5 books35

In my defence: I was in Tobago and I'd only taken one book on holiday with me, that I'd just finished. I had no phone, so no access to Kindle or the library. The bookshelf in the hotel consisted of 95% of books in German. This was one of only a dozen in English. So, y'know, it was the best of a bad bunch, y'know?

I read it but didn't enjoy it all that much. American politics is something I know nothing about (I could say that I know a little more now, but I don't know whether what I know is just made up. I mean, what there a 35th amendment to the US Constitution proposed? Dunno.)

Anyway, it's done now. I'm home so I can choose from my own library of pulp fiction. Nikhil Deo11 3

I happened to read a book written by Irving Wallace after a long time.
It had all the ingredients of a typical novel written by the author i.e grip the readers till the last page.
Due to this the thrilling aspects could not be enjoyed by me when i read this novel as those aspects could be predicted by a reader.
Yet it would be engaging read of reader who has not read books written by Irving Wallace. Erika Maria ZaBa297 12

Imposible despegarme del libro; conspiración, intriga, política, cambios a la constitución, alianzas, chantaje. Un libro muy rápido y muy de actualidad. Un autor que disfruto mucho. Aunque Wallace tiene muchos libros, se consiguen pocos, este lo conseguí en librería de viejo en el Centro Histórico de la Ciudad de México.my-library recomiendo Wilma504 1 follower

I had read this book and all of Irving Wallace's books years ago. He is a good author.

This one is about the government voting on a new amendment that would allow the gvmt. to suspend the bill of rights in case of emergency. Very interesting how the gvmt. works and a new introduction to learning about the bill of rights. Susan429 2

Originally published in 1976, and you would think it was written in the past few years - from 2016 onwards. Except for the fact that every single person smokes cigarettes, indoors even! And also there's no cell phones, laptops, desktops, social media, etc.

But the overarching plot and theme of the book? Proves that what's old is new again. Round and round we go.2021 Dann83 2

Ez dakit nola azaldu liburu hau abandonaturik aurkitu nuela eta nere armairuan gordeta zeramala egun hartatik. Ez nuen espero hau, ez nuen ba espero –behintzat, maiatzaren hasierarako– 2022ko liburu onenen zerrendaren Top3an kokatuko litzatekeela, Top1ean ez bada. Thriller politikoak atsegin badituzue, hau da zuon liburua, benetan! Donn Lorber569

Written in 1976 itÂ’s a chilling tale of FBI planning to take over the country by undoing the Bill of Rights. Crime and fear are the motivators, seems very relevant in 2018. ItÂ’s a great testament to the need to protect individual freedom and free expression Linda1,017 1 follower

I started to read. It sounded a current news report, so I wondered about the publication date, and it was 1976. It's eerie when fiction becomes fact, and we're not even aware of it. Scary, too.1970-s california d-c ...more Kathy Valentine37

Exceedingly interesting in that this book was published in 1976 but could easily be described as depicting our current situation in this country in the year 2020. It was eerie and made for very good reading. Eduardo1 review

Bueno, aunque me salte algunas partes que hablaban mucho de a constitución de estados unidos, era mucha historia en algunos capítulos. Me gusto el final y fue un libro muy entretenido. Fue el primer libro de Wallace que leo, me gustaron las partes de suspenso. Skorpion Lawliet91 1 follower

I got this book as a gift. It started nicely but in the middle it got kinda boring for me. There were some political talks which has never interested me that much and I read it in middle school. But the ending was satisfying and I was fine with it. I don't even remember much of the story anymore. Tom88

I have been putting off reading this for sometime... I should say that the title and the storyline did not seem attractive to me. But how wrong I was... this was another very good novel by Irving Wallace. It was a political drama, gave me the feeling of watching a suspense packed movie. fiction Geetha KrishnanAuthor 53 books37

This was a re read. The last time I read it, I was in my teens, and I had enjoyed it very much. Though I still d it this time, I could appreciate a lot of things in it quite a bit more this time around. Greg2,006 18

The Bill of Rights is under attack. Teachers are fired if they teach true history. Fake data is fed to Americans. Will this conspiracy work and end democracy in America? Interesting, prescient ideas here but very predictable plot.20th-century condensed political-thriller ...more Nick389 7

Perhaps the best Irving Wallace novel I've ever read. Well worth trying out. Shari Scott261

Yup...I read it again. And this time it was impossible to read without comparisons to the political environment we are in today. All too plausible unfortunately. BAGNULO MARCELLO358 3

Bello solo verso la fine. Quando l'ho letto, tanti anni fa, sono rimasto un po' delusoirving-wallace-il-documento-r Chandni104 2

Really eye-opening on politics and FBI.
I was shocked that the FBI was that advanced in the 70s, I can only imagine what they can do now. Sebastian Michael4 Read

One of my best books! Bob Box3,013 14

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