In the early decades of the twentieth century, touring “midget troupes” performed throughout Europe and Russia. One troupe, the Royal Russian Midgets, composed of poor peasants with few other opportunities, toured the world, often exploited by managers and venue owners. Their last stop was the U.S., where they retired in 1941 after purchasing land in Sweetwater Estates just off Florida’s Tamiami Trail. The community thrived until the last house was torn down in 1970. Read the novel A Brain. A Heart. The Nerve. to learn about another group of exploited little people from Eastern Europe, the Leopold von Singer Midgets, who played Munchkins in The Wizard of Oz. Find out more about the book in NOVELS.
