Old School by Tobias Wolff

When fictional characters mix with famous historical figures, the result is often a Forrest Gump-ish fog of implausibility spreading over the tale. In the world of E.L. Doctorow’s Ragtime, Harry Houdini’s car might break down in front of your house. In Woody Allen’s Zelig, the nondescript protagonist is even more successful than a White House gate-crash…