The Grasshopper Lies Heavy by Hawthorn Abendson

Title: The Grasshopper Lies Heavy

Author: Hawthorn Abendson

Publisher: Not known 

Source book: The Man in the High Castle by Philip K Dick

The Man in the High Castle is set in 1962, in a world where Imperial Japan and Nazi Germany won WWII and rule over the former United States of America.

Several characters in The Man in the High Castle read the popular but banned novel The Grasshopper Lies Heavy which is set in an alternate universe in which President Roosevelt survived an assassination attempt, and only served two terms. He is succeeded by President Rexford Tugwell (what kind of name is that?) who removed the American fleet from Pearl Harbour before the Japanese attack. This allowed the United States to enter the war much better equipped than in our universe, and the Allies, including Italy and Hungary, win the war.

You can find a more complete summary here. 

Characters in The Man in the High Castle use the I Ching to make decisions, and Hawthorn Abendson (who lives in a heavily guarded Wyoming estate called High Castle) admits he used the I Ching to decide on plot points in The Grasshopper Lies Heavy. Maybe Philip K Dick used the I Ching to help him with the plot of both books?

The Man in the High Castle was an answer on the BBC quiz show Pointless. It scored 9 points.

Thanks to Condé Nast Traveller