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The Tall Book: A Celebration of Life from on High
The Tall Book is a celebration of the tall-advantaged, which notes and explores the myriad benefits that come with living large--from the simple pleasures of being able to see over crowds at a parade, to the professional joys of earning more money, and having others perceive you as a natural leader. The Tall Book also offers well-researched explanations into the great unanswered questions of tallness, Why are people tall to begin with? How have tall people figured throughout history? Why are CEOs so tall? And how does tallness affect the dating game? Filled with illustrative graphics, charts, and piles of tall miscellanea and factoids, The Tall Book is a wonderful and much-needed exploration of life from on high.
256 pages, Hardcover
First published June 1, 2009
15 people are currently reading
290 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 77 reviews
October 4, 2009
"What is the definition of tall? You are tall if you're taller than the people around you. Height is relative."
As a 6'0" female, I just had to read this one, and it far far exceeded my expectations. I thought it would just be a fun little discussion of what it's like to be taller than most of the people around you. It is that, but so much more. Arianne Cohen did thorough research into ALL aspects of tall life, and she presents her findings with clarity and a superb sense of humor. She shares many of her own experiences growing up tall, topping out at 6'3".
I learned all sorts of crazy things I'd never heard of before. I'm so glad my mom didn't think of her lovely tall daughters as abnormal or freakish. Many mothers and doctors pressure girls into estrogen treatments at a very young age to prematurely close their growth plates and prevent "excessive" tallness. This treatment can lead to multiple health problems later in life, including infertility and cancer.
I was also unaware that there are men with tall fetishes who are absolutely crazy for tall women.
I've always held myself tall and never slouched or slumped like many talls do. After reading this book, I find myself trying to stand up even taller. To hell with all those pathetic and insecure people (mostly male) who can't take being around people taller than themselves.
TALLS UNITE! I think what I liked best about the book was that it made me feel less alone with the daily frustrations of being tall.(No clothes that fit; counters, water fountains, chairs, and everything else, are too low; stupid comments from stupid people...) And it reminded me once again that tall is gorgeous. Thank you, Arianne!
As a 6'0" female, I just had to read this one, and it far far exceeded my expectations. I thought it would just be a fun little discussion of what it's like to be taller than most of the people around you. It is that, but so much more. Arianne Cohen did thorough research into ALL aspects of tall life, and she presents her findings with clarity and a superb sense of humor. She shares many of her own experiences growing up tall, topping out at 6'3".
I learned all sorts of crazy things I'd never heard of before. I'm so glad my mom didn't think of her lovely tall daughters as abnormal or freakish. Many mothers and doctors pressure girls into estrogen treatments at a very young age to prematurely close their growth plates and prevent "excessive" tallness. This treatment can lead to multiple health problems later in life, including infertility and cancer.
I was also unaware that there are men with tall fetishes who are absolutely crazy for tall women.
I've always held myself tall and never slouched or slumped like many talls do. After reading this book, I find myself trying to stand up even taller. To hell with all those pathetic and insecure people (mostly male) who can't take being around people taller than themselves.
TALLS UNITE! I think what I liked best about the book was that it made me feel less alone with the daily frustrations of being tall.(No clothes that fit; counters, water fountains, chairs, and everything else, are too low; stupid comments from stupid people...) And it reminded me once again that tall is gorgeous. Thank you, Arianne!
July 26, 2009
Parts of this book I could really relate to - I am in the 99 percentile in terms of women's height - and have always had problems with clothes, bus seats, seats at concerts, airlines, office chairs, etc. However, some assumptions are just plain wrong. I, unlike the author, and some tall people, was not always tall - and the discussions of being the tallest kid in the elementary school and its implications was annoying. In addition, the author (who is 6'3'') will not date men shorter than herself and complains about dating as a tall woman. I am lucky - I have always liked shorter men, and married one. That made me realize that I have a book to write - being six inches taller than my husband. This book was interesting, but could have been more.
August 18, 2024
Funny, clever and still relevant in 2024. I want to be friends with Arianne now!!
December 27, 2011
This book was 5 stars amazing, and trust me, I have only rated one other books as 5 stars. To me "amazing" must mean powerfully meaningful and/or life altering, and this book was. I went on to spread The Tall Book gospel and passed it along to other tall female friends. I have asked every tall woman I have met socially if she has read it. I can't say there is any other book where I have gone about recommending it so much. So what made it 5 stars? It completely validated my life experiences as a tall woman. I would not recommend this book to anyone under 5'10" in height because you won't find it relevant, and it is very tall-affirming. I really liked Cohen's style of blending narrative with lots of statistics and research. While I have lived my whole life as tall, I never really thought about tallness in and of itself as a distinct identity quality. This book has completely changed my worldview and raised my awareness of how much my height interacts with my life in everyday situations. I found it validating to my routine experiences of having to accommodate to an enviroment that was not designed for tall women -- from clothes, to furniture, etc. (I particularly like her commentary about the notion of universal design -- something that is slowly gaining speed in the States.) It also provided many self-esteem boosting statistics that favor the life outcomes for tall persons. Finally, it made me look at the world differently and how height plays a role in communication, workplace situations, social situations, etc. For instance, the last three women hired by my department are 6 feet tall. Coincidence? Could be, but the book also points out that tall women are more likely to be promoted to leadership positions because they command the same amount of attention as men in face to face dialog which offsets gender discrimination in the workplace. I realize my review may sound a bit corny, but I am honestly enthusiastic about this book. Prior to this book I felt like my height only gave me the advantage of never needing a step ladder and people always being able to spot me in a crowd before I spot them (needless to say I never get lost with a group). Now I recognize all of these other benefits. I feel naive that I never paid attention to this aspect of my identity, and I am thankful that this brought raised my awareness and brought it to the forefront of my attention.
June 30, 2009
I found this book very encouraging. My only complaint is that it wasn't written sooner! The author's description of her own dating experience rang so true for me- seeing tall men with short women (Poacher!), attracting older men (which was really creepy in junior high), and seeing myself (and being seen) as asexual or unfeminine for until my late 20s because only dirty old men had the guts to approach me. I am going to start recommending this book to parents of tall children, as well as tall teens themselves.
July 25, 2009
I picked up The Tall Book after reading a positive review in EW ... and couldn't put it down. I loved the amount of research that Cohen had done, digging to the root of the tall experience, but at the end of the day, the book spoke to me. For a woman, I'm 99th percentile tall ... it's something you know effects you daily, but reading someone whose experiences mirrored my own (I felt like I could have written a lot of what she said) helped give me a better perspective ... I strongly recommend this to the tall and the super tall (and anyone interested in what life's like "up there").
January 1, 2016
This book was fascinating to listen to and really helped me take a new perspective in looking at how all people feel marginalized in some way in society. Maybe you feel "otherness" because of your race, gender, ethnicity, able-bodiedness, sexual orientation...or maybe simply because you are unusually tall (or short). Although we are all different, we can bond over our mutually felt hardships trying to deal with the mystical and foggy "average human" that seems to fit no one comfortably.
Overall, the style of writing was engaging, humorous, and inviting. The only chapter I really disliked was toward the end of the book when Cohen writes one of the most fiery and vindictive indictments of the airline business I have ever experienced. This diatribe, while presenting some valid points to consider, was obviously written from a victimized perspective that was unnerving and unpleasant to read. Yes, airlines are uncomfortable for tall people. But, no, I do not agree that the airlines are conspiring against every person who is "taller than average". They are a business that has to take into consideration making money via a service that requires attention to body sizes. It is entirely incredulous to me that Cohen willingly admits that tall people make significantly more money BECAUSE of their height and then turns around and says that tall people should not be "forced" into paying for airline seats that offer more space WITHOUT paying extra for those seats. Airlines are, by definition, in the business of finding ways to put more people in less space and keep costs for fuel down (which are directly related to weight on a plane and the number of people splitting the cost of arriving at a common destination). If you weigh more or if you desire more space, then you should pay extra, as you are making the costs go up for every other person on the plane. Traveling comfortably by air is simply not an inalienable right. Airlines are doing their jobs, not conspiring to make tall people feel marginalized!
Overall, the style of writing was engaging, humorous, and inviting. The only chapter I really disliked was toward the end of the book when Cohen writes one of the most fiery and vindictive indictments of the airline business I have ever experienced. This diatribe, while presenting some valid points to consider, was obviously written from a victimized perspective that was unnerving and unpleasant to read. Yes, airlines are uncomfortable for tall people. But, no, I do not agree that the airlines are conspiring against every person who is "taller than average". They are a business that has to take into consideration making money via a service that requires attention to body sizes. It is entirely incredulous to me that Cohen willingly admits that tall people make significantly more money BECAUSE of their height and then turns around and says that tall people should not be "forced" into paying for airline seats that offer more space WITHOUT paying extra for those seats. Airlines are, by definition, in the business of finding ways to put more people in less space and keep costs for fuel down (which are directly related to weight on a plane and the number of people splitting the cost of arriving at a common destination). If you weigh more or if you desire more space, then you should pay extra, as you are making the costs go up for every other person on the plane. Traveling comfortably by air is simply not an inalienable right. Airlines are doing their jobs, not conspiring to make tall people feel marginalized!
April 15, 2010
For all you "TALL" people out there -- Get this book! You will LOVE it! It was so entertaining and enjoyable to read a non-fiction book written by a woman who is 6'3" and decided to write the first and only non-fiction book about being tall. She really gives all us tall folk out there a big shot in the arm about being tall. It was comical at times because her information supplied by PhD's, psychologists, economists, and super-tall people seemed unbelieveably favoring the tall life! Being 6'0", I particularly related with the awkwardness of school dances with shorter dates, the unfitting of daily life in airplanes, low sinks and counters, and other problem areas; but, I also appreciated the information about the perks of the "tall life" and how playing sports -- something I love doing -- can make being tall so much better! The author has a great sense of humor too, which also made this book a fun read. This would be a great book for any teenagers struggling with being taller than everyone else and/or for adults still struggling with their vertical aptitude!
October 2, 2009
I recommend this to anyone who has ever been the tallest one at the dance (trust me when I say it is just no fun), or avoided buying high heels, or spent every photo moment in the back row, or been asked 1000 times about playing basketball. It would be great reading for anyone who is trying to be a parent to a tall person, too, especially a tall girl. Those of you who aren't in these categories might enjoy this book too, but you might end up with a bad case of tall envy, since so much about being tall is better! There were things in this book that I could have lived without knowing, but frankly, even those things might be useful for the tall person to understand. It was just so refreshing to read about all the studies, myths, and pros and cons of tall life. And yes, I actually bought this one.
August 2, 2009
OK, I admit it. I'm tall, so I love pretty much everything about this book.
Oh, and I'm quoted on pages 169-170.
Did I tell you I love this book?
I laughed a lot, I learned a few things (which is a feat, because I have a science Ph.D. and I don't expect to learn much science from popular books).
Great fun, good topic, yes it is self interest, la-di-dah!
Fuller notes here on my blog: Privileged Misfit - The Tall Book.
Oh, and I'm quoted on pages 169-170.
Did I tell you I love this book?
I laughed a lot, I learned a few things (which is a feat, because I have a science Ph.D. and I don't expect to learn much science from popular books).
Great fun, good topic, yes it is self interest, la-di-dah!
Fuller notes here on my blog: Privileged Misfit - The Tall Book.
August 21, 2009
Interesting. Being tall, I know a lot of this, but for someone who isn't tall, this book explains what we go through in the world of clothing, ceiling height, airline seats and much much more!
The part about making more money because of height is fascinating and would be fantastic if I hadn't chosen to work in a service profession (public libraries). In my world, I do not fall into this spectrum.
The part about making more money because of height is fascinating and would be fantastic if I hadn't chosen to work in a service profession (public libraries). In my world, I do not fall into this spectrum.
August 24, 2009
I enjoyed this book immensely. Finally nice to hear from a tall woman (taller than me) what it is like. She included interesting medical information, income statistics, reproduction and "fitting" information, too. I loved the chapters on shopping for clothes (and being a tall woman) and fitting (or rather not fitting) into airplane, bus, train seats, and bathroom stalls (yes... it happens!). Plenty of humor and personal stories thrown in. Read it!
July 28, 2009
What can I say? She shows the research that says we're smarter and earn more money than those shorter than us. How could I possibly not like this book? Also, we're healthier and live longer. Negatives: bus seats, train seats, airplane seats, our clothes cost more and higher rates of certain cancers -- skin -- we have more skin anyway!
August 30, 2009
Arianne Cohen has done tall people worldwide a service with this book. Collecting statistics and anecdotes on subjects ranging from salaries and health to dating and, well, just fitting into the world, she presents it all with unflinching honesty and humor. Wonderful book, recommended to anyone tall or anyone who wants to understand more about a tall friend.
March 11, 2010
Anyone who is tall, male or female, should read this book. And anyone who loves a tall should read this book, too. If you're a parent of a tall child, you should DEFINITELY read The Tall Book. It's well-researched, and the writing is engaging. One of the best non-fiction books I've read!
January 1, 2021
I once sat and thought I should really read more about who am I. Introversion, fears, desires, creativity - interesting, but sometimes too complex and usual. And then it popped up for me. Tall people!
As a 184 cm (6.03 feet) tall girl, I face a lot of difficulties. And I find it hard to find those who go through the same thing. And holy salvation! In this book, the author describes our daily life in a very compassionate and super funny way. The difficulty of finding a boyfriend, the constantly headbang on the ceiling, short sleeves, damn tiny space for legs in buses and planes... It's so sincere it's impossible not to laugh at it. Light and heartwarming read, totally!
If you are still unsure, should you read this book or not, maybe you will relate to Arianne: "I’d been tall for twenty years, but I had never made any effort to shed that angst about my size and was still periodically uncomfortable. And I’d certainly never explored being tall before. It had always just been a fact."
RECOMMENDED to the ones, who at least once in their lifetime thought "I am a nice, friendly tall person who obeys laws and pays taxes. Why can’t I fit into a bus seat?" Or went out in public, and got kind of depressed about how short the general public is. Haha!
5 worthy things to take out:
"Height is so striking that people see it as an identity rather than a physical trait."
“Tall club is like a special interest group, except there’s no special interest.”
"I didn’t realize until my twenties that all the little comments that I once found so upsetting they were only a reflection of someone else’s perception of tallness. Now, when I meet someone who seems uncomfortable around me, I understand that it’s a statement of how they feel about themselves never had anything to do with me."
"Any tall person can tell you that height is a huge psychological force that deeply affects personality, self-esteem, and behavior. There is no hiding. Ever. People take you more seriously because you have a physical presence. Of course, you’re gonna develop a really strong personality to go along with that."
"Men choose relatively short women, perhaps so that they can appear to be dominant in the relationship. Tall women have a harder time finding partners yet also have a fan base of tall fetishists." (A SAD ONE)
ADDITIONAL:
1. A-side effect: after you will read this book, you will start to dream about going to Europatreffen, where all tall people hang out, drink in various forms all day long and the cumulative effect is sort of like tall rehab. You are forgiven for all your tall sins. Every man in the room is an option. CAN YOU IMAGINE THAT?
2. "Tall is, objectively speaking, gorgeous. It just is. Remember that."
3. A lot of people see tall girls as goddesses (damn, and thought I was too proud that I noticed that!).
4. "The great irony of tall life is that clothing is more noticeable because you’re more noticeable." - haha, loved this one. If you're tall, you know the struggle.
As a 184 cm (6.03 feet) tall girl, I face a lot of difficulties. And I find it hard to find those who go through the same thing. And holy salvation! In this book, the author describes our daily life in a very compassionate and super funny way. The difficulty of finding a boyfriend, the constantly headbang on the ceiling, short sleeves, damn tiny space for legs in buses and planes... It's so sincere it's impossible not to laugh at it. Light and heartwarming read, totally!
If you are still unsure, should you read this book or not, maybe you will relate to Arianne: "I’d been tall for twenty years, but I had never made any effort to shed that angst about my size and was still periodically uncomfortable. And I’d certainly never explored being tall before. It had always just been a fact."
RECOMMENDED to the ones, who at least once in their lifetime thought "I am a nice, friendly tall person who obeys laws and pays taxes. Why can’t I fit into a bus seat?" Or went out in public, and got kind of depressed about how short the general public is. Haha!
5 worthy things to take out:
"Height is so striking that people see it as an identity rather than a physical trait."
“Tall club is like a special interest group, except there’s no special interest.”
"I didn’t realize until my twenties that all the little comments that I once found so upsetting they were only a reflection of someone else’s perception of tallness. Now, when I meet someone who seems uncomfortable around me, I understand that it’s a statement of how they feel about themselves never had anything to do with me."
"Any tall person can tell you that height is a huge psychological force that deeply affects personality, self-esteem, and behavior. There is no hiding. Ever. People take you more seriously because you have a physical presence. Of course, you’re gonna develop a really strong personality to go along with that."
"Men choose relatively short women, perhaps so that they can appear to be dominant in the relationship. Tall women have a harder time finding partners yet also have a fan base of tall fetishists." (A SAD ONE)
ADDITIONAL:
1. A-side effect: after you will read this book, you will start to dream about going to Europatreffen, where all tall people hang out, drink in various forms all day long and the cumulative effect is sort of like tall rehab. You are forgiven for all your tall sins. Every man in the room is an option. CAN YOU IMAGINE THAT?
2. "Tall is, objectively speaking, gorgeous. It just is. Remember that."
3. A lot of people see tall girls as goddesses (damn, and thought I was too proud that I noticed that!).
4. "The great irony of tall life is that clothing is more noticeable because you’re more noticeable." - haha, loved this one. If you're tall, you know the struggle.
October 10, 2018
I’m a 5’7” mother of a 6’4” and growing 15 year old son. This book has been spot on and deeply insightful. As my son leaves for school in the morning, I now say, “Go be tall and watch for where it changes your day.” We’ve had some incredible conversations since. Being tall can be a nuisance, but it can also be amazing. Thank you for writing this book.
October 6, 2021
I was disappointed by this book. Maybe I just don't get the author's humor but it wasn't funny to me. And I even felt shades of racism! The "science" (anthropometry?) reminded me of the horrible history around craniometry. Sorry, I don't recommend it at all, even for my 6'7" son.
September 19, 2018
Loved it!
February 17, 2024
Changed my perspective a little.
December 28, 2014
This was a quick, pleasant read, and I really enjoyed almost all of it, especially the parts about the relationship between height and income, as well as psychological perceptions of tall people. That said, pro forma, the majority of my review will consist of pointing out the two things that I did not like as much:
1) It seems that the intended readership is more women vs men. Specifically, there were a lot of sections about dating while tall that seemed generally more relevant to women than men. Totally understandable given the life experiences and expertise of the author, but I found these sections somewhat skippable. Basically, this makes me more likely to recommend this book to a tall female friend than a tall male friend.
2) The discussion on longevity seemed a bit one-sided towards the "being tall makes you more likely to live longer" side of the spectrum. From what I have read of the academic literature, the situation is actually quite complex, and the direction of the effect is not clear. This is not surprising because there are tricky statistical issues at play. For example, IQ and income correlate with increased lifespan in the general population, but as Cohen notes, they also correlate with increased height. Ought a research to "adjust" for these variables, then? Hard to say. Furthermore, it seemed that much of the literature she was drawing upon to demonstrate an increased longevity was from the 1800s, but the most common causes of death have dramatically changed since then, and notably cancer is a much more likely cause of death now than then. And, as she notes, cancer is more common in taller people. However, this might interact with #1, since she notes that tall men are more likely to get cancer than tall women (apparently, the incidences of certain cancers scale linearly with height, independent of sex). That said, the largest study I've been able to find, in 2012, on over 1,000,000 people, did note a very slightly decreased risk of death from any cause in taller people: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22....
What was the most new and actionable piece of information I learned from this book?
That taller people have an increased risk of skin cancer. To quantify this: every 2.5 inches of height increases your risk of melanoma death by 1.25 (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22...). So, this is not medical advice, but it seems like tall people should consider being screened for skin cancer more often than the general population. That tall men also have an increased risk of prostate cancer (and tall women have an increased risk of breast cancer, although it is a smaller increase) is also actionable, but I already knew that prior to reading this book.
1) It seems that the intended readership is more women vs men. Specifically, there were a lot of sections about dating while tall that seemed generally more relevant to women than men. Totally understandable given the life experiences and expertise of the author, but I found these sections somewhat skippable. Basically, this makes me more likely to recommend this book to a tall female friend than a tall male friend.
2) The discussion on longevity seemed a bit one-sided towards the "being tall makes you more likely to live longer" side of the spectrum. From what I have read of the academic literature, the situation is actually quite complex, and the direction of the effect is not clear. This is not surprising because there are tricky statistical issues at play. For example, IQ and income correlate with increased lifespan in the general population, but as Cohen notes, they also correlate with increased height. Ought a research to "adjust" for these variables, then? Hard to say. Furthermore, it seemed that much of the literature she was drawing upon to demonstrate an increased longevity was from the 1800s, but the most common causes of death have dramatically changed since then, and notably cancer is a much more likely cause of death now than then. And, as she notes, cancer is more common in taller people. However, this might interact with #1, since she notes that tall men are more likely to get cancer than tall women (apparently, the incidences of certain cancers scale linearly with height, independent of sex). That said, the largest study I've been able to find, in 2012, on over 1,000,000 people, did note a very slightly decreased risk of death from any cause in taller people: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22....
What was the most new and actionable piece of information I learned from this book?
That taller people have an increased risk of skin cancer. To quantify this: every 2.5 inches of height increases your risk of melanoma death by 1.25 (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22...). So, this is not medical advice, but it seems like tall people should consider being screened for skin cancer more often than the general population. That tall men also have an increased risk of prostate cancer (and tall women have an increased risk of breast cancer, although it is a smaller increase) is also actionable, but I already knew that prior to reading this book.
October 11, 2009
A fascinating, often surprising, and just as often throwaway look at what it means to be a tall person in these times.
The data is sheerly impressive and nifty, for example: Given several well-fed, stress-free generations, all people around the world would average just over six feet in height; none of the world's people are genetically programmed to be shorter or taller than others. And a lot of exploding of statistics to turn received ideas on their head, for example: yes, tall people tend to earn more than shorter counterparts. But not simply because they are taller, but rather because tall people are, on average, actually smarter than shorter people on average. (There are plenty of reasons for this tied to the same nutritional markers that create height over generations, and the way that height is a reinforcing self-confidence feedback loop [tall people are looked up to, etc.:], and clearly, it doesn't hold for individuals.) All of this is completely objectionable while being true, and the more fun to ponder because of that.
Less fun is Cohen's endless catalog of the ways the world is designed to hamper the tall—everything from woefully low toilets to distressingly small airline seats to the way that tall women are unable to find fashionable clothes that fit and are affordable. (Yes, it can suck to be shorter, too, but being short won't result in actual physical pain if, say, you are forced to fly twelve hours in cramped quarters.)
It's a speedy read, and all in all a lot of fun.
(Though what was Bloomsbury thinking with the truly childish "art" of giraffes in bad situations that is seeded throughout the book? Amateurish stuff. Worse, neither cute nor funny. Just kind of embarrassing.)
The data is sheerly impressive and nifty, for example: Given several well-fed, stress-free generations, all people around the world would average just over six feet in height; none of the world's people are genetically programmed to be shorter or taller than others. And a lot of exploding of statistics to turn received ideas on their head, for example: yes, tall people tend to earn more than shorter counterparts. But not simply because they are taller, but rather because tall people are, on average, actually smarter than shorter people on average. (There are plenty of reasons for this tied to the same nutritional markers that create height over generations, and the way that height is a reinforcing self-confidence feedback loop [tall people are looked up to, etc.:], and clearly, it doesn't hold for individuals.) All of this is completely objectionable while being true, and the more fun to ponder because of that.
Less fun is Cohen's endless catalog of the ways the world is designed to hamper the tall—everything from woefully low toilets to distressingly small airline seats to the way that tall women are unable to find fashionable clothes that fit and are affordable. (Yes, it can suck to be shorter, too, but being short won't result in actual physical pain if, say, you are forced to fly twelve hours in cramped quarters.)
It's a speedy read, and all in all a lot of fun.
(Though what was Bloomsbury thinking with the truly childish "art" of giraffes in bad situations that is seeded throughout the book? Amateurish stuff. Worse, neither cute nor funny. Just kind of embarrassing.)
May 12, 2011
Everyone who even vaguely knows someone over 5'10" or so should read this ..... really! It gives the perspective of, "life from on high." The author is Dave's height of 6'3" and she describes going to a tall convention where for the first time in her life a) no one noticed her in a crowd and b) she couldn't see because someone taller was blocking her view. The book talks about the concept of universal design - used in some countries (I think Denmark and Holland), to for example make bus seats fit people of all different heights and yet not change the passenger capacity. She talks about people constantly having the initial reaction upon meeting her of telling her that she's tall (I've heard short people get this too) and all tall people evidently get asked every day if they play basketball - and lots of other comments that people say. One other interesting anecdote is that extremely tall people apparently live happily in small towns, because after the initial double-take there, people then just get on with their lives - as in, "oh, that's so-and-so that lives down the street." Whereas in big cities the constant anonymity actually causes more commotion - people whipping out cameras, etc. I skipped some chapters, but I also closed the cover and went and re-arranged the kitchen, putting a few pans up in a higher cupboard! (I didn't mean for it to be inconvenient, that's just always where the pans were in every house I knew growing up - even with tall people in the family!)
July 28, 2011
This is a book by a tall person, for tall people. 6'3" author Arianne Cohen writes about her own experiences as a very tall woman and talks to economists, endocrinologists, clothing retailers, industrial designers, and very tall people about the issues of "talls". At 6'0" myself, I'm taller than average (which is 5'9" for men in North America), so I could relate to some of what is in this book. But real issues start to crop up for those, like Cohen, around 6'3" and taller. The really tall and the super tall have a particularly hard time finding clothes, comfortable airplane seats, dating partners, and privacy (when you're that tall, everyone notices). On the upside, talls generally earn more ($789 per inch above average height), are a bit more intelligent, and live longer (unless they get cancer, which is much more common in talls than in average-height people). Cohen's style is light and humourous, but she's not afraid to really vent about things that particularly annoy her and her very tall acquaintances. I found the book focused more on the issues of tall women than tall people of either sex (particularly the chapters on dating and clothing), which made it a bit lopsided. I certainly became more self-conscious about my height, which isn't that tall, really (something that most talls tell themselves, apparently). Overall, though, this is an entertaining and informative book for tall people and those who know them.
April 18, 2014
Everyone who's over 6' tall should read this book. Period. Here's a 5-word summary of the book: "It's OK to be tall."
The longer summary would read: "It's OK to be tall. You are not alone. And in fact, you ain't even all that tall."
The other take-away is: Even people in the upper percentile for height deserve that their needs be met too. Stop slouching to make others feel less short. Stop buying clothes and shoes that don't fit. How interesting that there are places in this world where tall people can be comfortable. In some European countries, furniture comes in DIFFERENT SIZES!! My dining room chairs are 17" high. Imagine how lovely it would be if I could buy a set of 20" chairs!! Dutch school children are measured twice a year, and given chairs THAT FIT THEM, up to 23" high. Eateries have some tall tables & chairs and some lower tables&chairs. The Munich subway cars feature seats of VARYING heights & sizes. Efforts could be made to make more people comfortable. When you've been used to adjusting yourself to the world around you as best as you can for most of your life, this idea is rather eye-opening.
The longer summary would read: "It's OK to be tall. You are not alone. And in fact, you ain't even all that tall."
The other take-away is: Even people in the upper percentile for height deserve that their needs be met too. Stop slouching to make others feel less short. Stop buying clothes and shoes that don't fit. How interesting that there are places in this world where tall people can be comfortable. In some European countries, furniture comes in DIFFERENT SIZES!! My dining room chairs are 17" high. Imagine how lovely it would be if I could buy a set of 20" chairs!! Dutch school children are measured twice a year, and given chairs THAT FIT THEM, up to 23" high. Eateries have some tall tables & chairs and some lower tables&chairs. The Munich subway cars feature seats of VARYING heights & sizes. Efforts could be made to make more people comfortable. When you've been used to adjusting yourself to the world around you as best as you can for most of your life, this idea is rather eye-opening.
May 24, 2013
If you are tall, freakishly tall, insanely tall or as I at 6'2 (when I am not wearing 4" heels) put it: normal-sized in a world filled with short people, this is the book for you. From airplane seats to growth blockers and why tall guys get laid more and tall gals less unless you are a tall girl living in southern Sudan in which case tallness gets you double the amount of cows as dowry. It also offered a possible explanation as to why my Prussian great grand mother (born in the 1880's) was well over 6 foot.
I don't think I have ever nodded my head in agreement so much as when reading this book. Recognisable, insightful, funny and mandatory reading for anybody who is raising a tall child.
For the not so tall and just plain short - it is still a good read, you will get a different perspective as to what life is like up here.
And as a side note- it may just increase migration to my country Holland- the tallest nation on earth. I may complain sometimes about not catering to tall people but compared to the rest of the world - boy do us tall peeps have it good here!
I don't think I have ever nodded my head in agreement so much as when reading this book. Recognisable, insightful, funny and mandatory reading for anybody who is raising a tall child.
For the not so tall and just plain short - it is still a good read, you will get a different perspective as to what life is like up here.
And as a side note- it may just increase migration to my country Holland- the tallest nation on earth. I may complain sometimes about not catering to tall people but compared to the rest of the world - boy do us tall peeps have it good here!
July 23, 2009
You can never be too rich or too thin, someone said. That someone might well have added, 'or too tall'. Being tall gets you more money, more respect, more career growth, more sex, more happiness -- more of everything. Oh yes -- more cancer too. There's always a downside, isn't there? This is a slight book -- once you've done the 'mores' -- and you can do that in about a chapter -- there isn't much more to say. But Cohen manages to spin it out to 221 tall, thin pages, and it's moderately entertaining. Most of it consists of complaints and horror stories of her dating adventures as a tall girl in a world full of insecure, shorter men. Alas, we men have got so much to answer for! That's the real downside, at least for tall women. Except in a few cultures -- the Dinka and the Nuer in the Sudan come to mind -- where tall women are prized, because they produce tall children. You can't escape biology, and that's the real message of this book.
September 27, 2013
I was excited when I saw this on the shelf at the library. As far as I know, this is the only popular, comprehensive work on height and its psychological, social, and physical impact. One interesting tidbit was that most nations and ethnic groups are not genetically programmed to be short or tall, but are shorter or taller because of environmental factors (stress, food availability, pre- and post-natal care, etc.). Also, contrary to popular opinion, tall people are generally long-lived, despite our slightly higher risk of some cancers. As with the booming literature on introversion, Cohen sometimes veers into the dangerous territory of implying that we tall folks are somehow better than our shorter counterparts. I do agree with her closing cry that public accommodations should do a better job at accommodating people of all heights and sizes - not just those in the 5th to 95th percentiles.
March 15, 2010
Arianne is 6'2". I am completely average: 5'6". But I have a very good girlfriend who is nearly 5'11". And a guy friend who is 6'4". My tall girlfriend also has three very tall children and I noticed how gleeful she is about their height and how the kids also seem to take pride in it, not feel self-conscious about it. So when I ran across this book, it intrigued me.
This isn't a memoir. It's actually a book ABOUT tall-ness and being tall. Ms. Cohen looks into the biology, the social aspects, the history, the medical issues, tall clubs, tall fetishes, and gigantism. She isn't afraid to get technical, but the book is completely accessible and fun. It's definitely enjoyable for a non-tall, and when I get onto my plane Wednesday, I will be grateful to my 50th percentile femur length.
Oh also, it's in a taller-than-standard trim size which I just loved.
This isn't a memoir. It's actually a book ABOUT tall-ness and being tall. Ms. Cohen looks into the biology, the social aspects, the history, the medical issues, tall clubs, tall fetishes, and gigantism. She isn't afraid to get technical, but the book is completely accessible and fun. It's definitely enjoyable for a non-tall, and when I get onto my plane Wednesday, I will be grateful to my 50th percentile femur length.
Oh also, it's in a taller-than-standard trim size which I just loved.
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April 4, 2011The only book that could ever make me (at 5'11") feel short. I'm not even 6', that's practically tiny!
In all seriousness, an excellently researched, very lively book that taps into something I've always noticed: the instant sympatico among people of extraordinary height. Reading this book is the literary equivalent of attending one of the tall clubs Cohen describes, as you get to share being tall with other (often taller) people in a way that makes you feel more like a part of a community than a freak. Definitely worth a read for anyone not comfortable with their height, and even those who have come to terms with it. I came out of it with the impression that I'm not really as tall as I think I am, and also with a new store to visit the next time I visit Manhattan (one that will perhaps have clothes with waists at the proper spot!).
In all seriousness, an excellently researched, very lively book that taps into something I've always noticed: the instant sympatico among people of extraordinary height. Reading this book is the literary equivalent of attending one of the tall clubs Cohen describes, as you get to share being tall with other (often taller) people in a way that makes you feel more like a part of a community than a freak. Definitely worth a read for anyone not comfortable with their height, and even those who have come to terms with it. I came out of it with the impression that I'm not really as tall as I think I am, and also with a new store to visit the next time I visit Manhattan (one that will perhaps have clothes with waists at the proper spot!).
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