Absolutely! As I was reading, I was saddened to realize that people are still encountering this type of bigotry and persecution after so many years.
As every commenter has already pointed out, YES. YES. YES. The Lilac People is a terrifying and heartbreaking story about what happens when a society votes a lunatic, would-be authoritarian into office who is out of control and given unchecked power. Sadly, the U.S. government is engaging in precisely the same kinds of despicable actions depicted in the book, attempting to strip Americans of fundamental rights. There has been an abhorrent focus on the LGBTQIA+ community, including ejecting transgender persons, women, et al. from military service altogether and/or positions of authority within the various branches. Deportations without due process are another example. There are many more injustices being carried out, including but not limited to proposed budget cuts that would leave millions without necessary health care and food.
As a retired civil rights attorney, I am appalled, dismayed, and angry, and make no apology for my feelings on the subject. Electing a 34x convicted felon to sit behind the Resolute Desk was an abomination. His lack of respect for the rule of law is reprehensible and dangerous, and the courts are the only thing we have left to hold our democracy in place. The fool even thinks he can run for a third term in office despite a clear Constitutional prohibition against it.
Two quotes from the book summarize what is happening in the U.S. “A country is only as strong as its most vulnerable people.” And it is the vulnerable in America who are under attack, while those in power seek to protect and enhance the lives of billionaires. And the Republican party has abdicated any responsibility to reign in and control the madman who is holding the Oval Office hostage again, just as the German politicians lost control of Hitler. They are complicit and history will judge those cowards accordingly. Again, only the courts can hold the line. I pray they do. 
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Sadly, yes. Part of what made this book a difficult read was just how reflective the world of 1932 Berlin is of 2025 USA. In particular, the brief messages from the LGBTQIA+ community in Part II reminded me so much of the tweets/social media posts from the National Park resistance. So full of despair and yet a hope that good will prevail.
I was struck by the line “A country is only as strong as its most vulnerable people.” It made me think of the countless people who’ve been pushed into the category “vulnerable”, decade after decade, from the founding to today.
Welcome, Jessica. I think bigotry is hard to encounter wherever it arises. The Lilac People brought both sides of bigotry to light. The personal in intermittent confrontations and the systemic feeding off of and fueling the personal.
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