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Drapkin Books

Ten Nobodies (and their somebodies)​

A creative romp through history featuring ten narratives by fictional “nobodies” who were employed by or otherwise served famous people—the “somebodies” of the title. The somebodies include William Shakespeare; Anne Bonny, the fierce bisexual pirate; Davy Crockett; General George Armstrong Custer; Lewis Carroll; President William Howard Taft; Gertrude Stein and her partner, Alice B. Toklas; Marilyn Monroe; Green Bay Packers Coach Vince Lombardi; and Jewish gangster Meyer Lansky.

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Press and Reviews of Ten Nobodies (and their somebodies)

"In his second work of fiction, Martin Drapkin speculates on famous people’s servants, workers and assistants throughout history. . . This collection imagines the small and great dramas that unfold between server and servee. Press aide to President William Howard Taft, party host for Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas, and hairstylist to General Custer are just some of the personalities portrayed. . . The most believable character of all is Solly, Meyer Lansky’s ‘research assistant.' "
Kirkus Reviews
“A fascinating and always-imaginative picaresque romp through history, showing the very human side of people whose names we know but have never quite seen from these perspectives. I love every one of the ‘nobodies,’ and even identified with some of their plights. . . If you like both history and literature, this is the book for you.”
Ronald WallaceFormer Director of Creative Writing Program, University of Wisconsin-Madison
“Please give this book a try. I promise that you’ll have fun and will flesh out your knowledge of little segments of history from an all-so-human point of view.”
John ScepanskiAmazon Review
“Ten Nobodies (and their somebodies) turns upside down the way we have been taught to think about history and other things . . . When was the last time you bought a book and felt that the chapter titles in the table of contents, alone, was well worth the purchase price? A wealth of laughs awaits you!”
L. Kenneth HaynesAmazon Review