The Nobody People

A Novel

By: Bob Proehl

Narrated by: Thérèse Plummer

Length: 16 hrs and 44 mins

Publisher's summary

When a group of outcasts with extraordinary abilities comes out of hiding, their clash with a violent society will spark a revolution - or an apocalypse.

"Much like the X-Men comics, Proehl masterfully uses science fiction as a lens to examine social inequality and human evil." (Booklist)

Avi Hirsch has always known his daughter was different. But when others with incredible, otherworldly gifts reveal themselves to the world, Avi realizes that her oddness is something more - that she is something more. With this, he has a terrifying revelation: Emmeline is now entering a society where her unique abilities unfairly mark her as a potential threat. And even though he is her father, Avi cannot keep her safe forever.

Emmeline soon meets others just like her: Carrie Norris, a teenage girl who can turn invisible...but just wants to be seen. Fahima Deeb, a woman with an uncanny knack for machinery...but it’s her Muslim faith that makes the US government suspicious of her.

They are the nobody people - ordinary individuals with extraordinary gifts who want one only thing: to live as equals in an America that is gripped by fear and hatred. But the government is passing discriminatory laws. Violent mobs are taking to the streets. And one of their own - an angry young man seething with self-loathing - has used his power in an act of mass violence that has put a new target on the community. The nobody people must now stand together and fight for their future, or risk falling apart.

The first book of a timely two-part series, The Nobody People is a powerful novel of love and hope in the face of bigotry that uses a world touched by the fantastic to explore our current reality. It is a story of family and community. It is a story of continuing to fight for one another, no matter the odds. It is the story of us.

Bob Proehl will return with The Somebody People!

©2019 Bob Proehl (P)2019 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"[A] complex novel about the cost of being different.... The characters are intricately human, each rendered in minute and thoughtful detail that pushes back against stereotypes.... [The Nobody People] leaves the reader eagerly awaiting the next installment." (Publishers Weekly)

"Proehl masterfully uses science fiction as a lens to examine social inequality and human evil; readers will find it hard to believe that they’re not actually looking into the near future." (Booklist)

"Thoughtful, nuanced, kinetic, and, above all, human, this is the superhero story we've been waiting for." (Seanan McGuire, New York Times best-selling author of the October Daye series)

Couldn't finish it

I tried hard with this book, stayed with it for over 3/4, but I just don't like it, and I liked it even less as the story progressed.
It's derivative, depressing, and I dislike every sing character except the little girl. The performance is somewhat overwrought, so that didn't help redeem the listening experience.
Maybe a YA audience would find it more rewarding.

Fantastic book and performance!!!

I am eternally grateful to Jay Edidin (of the Jay & Miles X-Plain the X-Men podcast) for introducing me to this book. As a lifelong X-Men fan, this book couldn't be more perfect. The stakes are incredibly high, the characters are all three dimensional, and I could NOT stop listening once I started. I give this book (and stellar performance by Therese Plummer) the highest possible recommendation!

Phenomenal World Building

Rating: 4 1/2 Caffeinated Stars
Trigger Warning will be at the very bottom of this review. Please know that the Trigger Warnings will contain spoilers. I do not want to spoil anything for anyone, but for some people, these will be incredibly important.

I first found out about this book at the Denver Pop Culture Con. The cover immediately caught my attention, and the blurb was perfect. I kept thinking about this book the entire night so went on NetGalley and requested it immediately. I was so excited when I was approved. The Nobody People is one of those books that will stick with me for a while. It's horrifying yet utterly fascinating. I couldn't put this book down yet at the same time I didn't want to finish it. The story was so dark and horrifying so much so that I found it hard to finish it at times. This book took me two weeks to complete, which is unheard of for me.

Though this book took me two weeks to read, it was well worth it. The highlight of this book was the characters. They were well developed, and I loved how much depth each character had. I felt like they were friends, family, and everything in between. Each character had a role, and each role was significant. I was in awe of Bob Proehl's ability to write such strong characters.

The plot of this book is something that many people will recognize. It parallels our society as well. It is an "us vs. them" type book that at times, became too realistic. It was horrifying and fascinating. I couldn't put the book down yet I didn't want to read it at the same time. For the length of the book, it did have a quick pace. The Nobody People was actioned packed, and each page was there for a reason. I am genuinely impressed with Bob Proehl's ability to create a world that is at times too realistic.

Trigger Warnings: Bleakness, Concentration Camps, Drug Use, Death, Murder, Sexual Assault, Suicide, Child Abuse, Cliffhanger Ending.

Lousy and derivative.

This is what the X-men would have looked like if Stan Lee was a talentless hack who had no qualms about regurgitating tired old cliche's and was incapable of forming an original thought.

Don't waste your time or money. This is garbage.

Self aggrandizing garbage

This book is terrible. The characters are one dimensional and the story is so contrived and derivative to border on plagiarism. Character relationships felt forced and plot devices seemed either drawn out of nowhere or copied from the pages of better stories. Would not recommend. A waste of an Audible credit.

Boring

This book started out great but soon turned into a long and boring tale. I had high hopes for the book the way it began and I continued to listen through over half of it but I just couldn’t take it any longer.