Andrew S. Rogers:

Henry David Thoreau famously warned us to “beware of all enterprises that require new clothes,” and a good corollary to that might be “beware all books on interpersonal conflict that require learning a new language.” For “Battles Between Somebodies and Nobodies” relies on a fairly specialized vocabulary, not only of words you thought you knew like “somebody” and “nobody,” but also “rankism,” “right-rank,” “dog-kickers,” “gatekeepers,” and more. I quickly came across some other speed bumps when starting to read this, like the author’s statement that she started writing this book primarily because she was so impressed with a similar one by Robert W. Fuller, or the egregious rendering (twice!) of writer Alain de Botton’s name as “Alian DeButton.” But really, it was the jargon, and the reductionist thinking it leads to, that made this book difficult for me to finish.

Fuller’s insight, as presented and expanded-upon by Julie Ann Wambach, is that “all abuse is based on misuse of position” (p. xxii). This is codified as “rankism” — “promotion of oneself and one’s interests while bringing harm to a person or community” (p. 18). Viewed that way, just about anything bad in human history can be invoked as an example of “rankism,” and sure enough, among the examples Dr. Wambach gives us are the American Civil War and the September 11 attacks (p. 23), the Russian Revolution (”Why did the Russian people revolt? Because the Tsar was ruthless and unfair” [p. 32]), and the second world war (”Hitler: Nobody turned Somebody Rankist” [p. 58]). Sure puts your resentment about having to work on Saturdays into perspective, doesn’t it? Dr. Wambaugh warns us to reject labels, saying “If we think rankists are simply evil, we are not inclined to bridge the chasm between perpetrator and target. It is more productive for us to recognize rankist behavior as neurotic, as maladaptive. Rankists are trying to safeguard their own self-esteem … They want a system that protects them as they figure out the future” (p. 61). Not to be flip, but this must be what happens when you analyze human interactions through the lens of the dynamics of a troop of baboons or a pack of wolves. I’m bold to suggest that there was more to world war two than “Hitler had self-esteem issues,” and that there is more involved in most human interactions than the constant jockeying for status and position.

I know that this review is out of step with the others posted here at the time of my writing, and I don’t begrudge others who have found something useful in Dr. Wambach’s work. In my reading, though, “Battles Between Somebodies and Nobodies” suffers from being simultaneously too broadly and imprecisely defined, and too narrowly focused, for me really to be able to integrate it with my own life and personal relationships.

(Finally, I should note too that Dr. Wambach’s definition of “anarchy” is odd too. At one point, she writes of “the anarchist’s dream of a society where everyone is equal in everything,” pointing out “we do not ask a composer of symphonies to fix our roof or a farmer to remove an appendix” [p. 29]. But which “anarchists” have called for absolute equality of skills? A few pages later, she says “anarchists espouse decisions by consensus” [p. 31]. This too came as a surprise. “Anarchy” simply means “no ruler” [an + archos]. Understanding the proper and improper uses of authority, as a right understanding of “anarchy” can lead to, actually seems like a pretty good way to start unraveling the conflicts between “somebodies” and “nobodies” Dr. Wambach rightly decries.)
Rating: 3 5/ 5

Cheryl K:

Battles between Somebodies and Nobodies: Combat Abuse of Rank at Work and at Home by Julie Ann Wambach, Ph.D. is one of those types of books that everyone should read.

Julie Ann talks about how somebodies and nobodies are created, which than leads to rankism. Rankism is described as the misuse of position by those in power when they mistreat individuals who are less forceful.

Where you will most likely engage in rankism is at any type of organization, where a group of people are involved. This is not to say there is anything wrong with that, as even animals establish some form of rankism. What Julie Ann explains in Battles between Somebodies and Nobodies is how to best approach rank and what steps you can take for yourself.

What I enjoyed the most about this book was that it was easy to read and understand. The chapters were broken out into short ones with identifiable titles. The best part was the chapter summaries. Within each chapter on the last page you can find these summaries, to help re-cap what was just being said. This book is very informative. I also felt like Julie Ann Wambach, Ph.D did a great job keeping a neutral ground, so that if someone reading this book fell into either the somebodies or nobodies, they would not feel offended and would hopefully use this as a guide to better improve themselves.

Rating: 4 5/ 5

Andrea Samadi:

My first experience with rankism was watching someone I love and respect get treated with very little dignity in the workplace. I saw firsthand how depilating this occurrence can be to the overall spirit of the person experiencing the abuse, and we would search together for responsible solutions that would stop the cycles of rankism.

If only we had the book, Battles Between Somebodies and Nobodies, we would have learned that the rankist was responding to some behavior, that was instigating more abuse. Learning to understand the techniques that Somebodies and Nobodies use against each other has been eye opening for me; not only in the workplace, but in social situations as well. I loved learning how to use conflict constructively, and without being a rankist, to get a desired outcome. The pictures that explained the Somebody Rankists and Nobody Rankists in Chapter 6 and 7 were helpful as these visuals do assist the reader to understand the many different faces of abuse. I definitely feel empowered now to watch my own behaviors, and be sure that rankism is eliminated from my life. This book is a useful tool for anyone looking to proactively overcome power struggles. Andrea Samadi, author of The Secret for Teens Revealed: How Parents, Teachers, and Teenagers Can Inspire Leadership and Transform Lives

Rating: 5 5/ 5