Searching for title to story about dome over USA.

Gerald2554

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I believe it was a short story. The US had developed an dome which they used to wall the US from the rest of the world. The americans had gotten very zenophobic, and they had a very run down society. The rest of the world had gone on to unite and become a peaceful and successful place. No idea author or when. (No more than 40 years ago, and probably over 20 years ago.)

Thanks.
 
I don't know the story personally, but I've seen a similar plot description for a novella called Atom Curtain (1956) by Nick Boddie Williams. It was published as part of the Ace double series, with the blurb:
For 270 years, America had been totally cut off from the rest of the world by an impenetrable wall of raging atomic fury. To the frightened countries of the Old World, what had once been the greatest of all powers was now the most fearful of all mysteries.

It's quite a bit older than your stated timeline, though. Any chance that it was older than you thought?

If so, ISFDB has some pictures of covers that might jog your memory. If not, what other details make you certain that it was from around 1980-2000?
 
Sounds interesting. But not what I was thinking of. My dates are based on when I possibly read it. It could be older, but definitely not newer. My memory of it doesn't feel right for older than the 60s at the far end. The story was about some agents that had somehow gotten in and were trying to get the dome down, while dealing with the xenophobic nature of the Americans. It came to mind when trump won 4 years ago and wanted to build that stupid wall.
 
Sounds interesting. But not what I was thinking of. My dates are based on when I possibly read it. It could be older, but definitely not newer. My memory of it doesn't feel right for older than the 60s at the far end. The story was about some agents that had somehow gotten in and were trying to get the dome down, while dealing with the xenophobic nature of the Americans. It came to mind when trump won 4 years ago and wanted to build that stupid wall.
Were the dome people white but one of the infiltrators wasn't?
 
@pyan - Nothing in the Tropes matched my memory.
@danny - Best I can say is maybe. It's been too long.
@Richiehead - I'll see if I can find that, though I kind of doubt it.

Thanks to everyone for at least trying. (smiles)
 
I can't think of the title just now, however there's an old story by Jack Williamson about the US being walled/domed off from the rest of the world
 
Was the whole country domed? Or just cities? There was a story/book that domed the cities, and one plot point involved someone who ended up 'outdoors.' He and his girlfriend got back in when there was a train wreck (don't know if it was caused by them) and they snuck on board. The people who kept the domes secure came among the train passengers and checked to make sure everyone had been on board the whole trip-- from one domed city to another domed city. They asked if they recognized anyone else in the car; of course they could point to each other. And they were admitted back into the city.

No, I don't remember the story, author, or any other plot points.
 
If it's just the cities being domed, "Caves of Steel" (by Isaac Asimov) had domed cities. Not really locked tight, but who wants to wander around out in the farmland surrounding the city anyway.
 
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