Chabon describes the rest of world history only elliptically , but hints at enormous changes . Germany crushes the Soviet Union in 1942 and World War II continues until 1946 , when Berlin is destroyed with nuclear weapons . Chabon refers to a ' Polish Free State ' existing in 1950 , and describes some characters as veterans of a lengthy ' Cuban War ' in the 1960s . President John F. Kennedy was not assassinated and married Marilyn Monroe ; Orson Welles succeeded in making his film of '' Heart of Darkness '' . And when describing the modern world , Chabon refers to a ' Third Russian Republic ' and an independent Manchuria that has its own space program
not assassinated
Assassination of John F. Kennedy
The Yiddish Policemen's Union