Product Description

A week after her birth, Dan Kennedy's daughter, Becky, was diagnosed with achondroplasia, the most common type of dwarfism. Reassured by doctors that Becky would have normal intelligence and life span, Kennedy and his wife quickly adjusted to the reality of her condition. Little People weaves the moving story of Kennedy's personal experiences with a fascinating investigation into dwarfism. Kennedy traces the attitudes toward dwarfs throughout history and describes with humor and compassion the difficulties little people face in a world designed for the 'average-sized.' In telling his story, Kennedy confronts the deepest of parental fears: What if my child is different? His search for an answer provides a penetrating look at how our culture of diversity-of respect for differences-clashes with the belief that we have a right to the so-called perfect child. Taking on the controversial issue of designer genetics, Kennedy argues that there is real cultural value to preserving differences and that eliminating them will harm society in unpredictable ways.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #569193 in Books
• Published on: 2003-10-17
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 288 pages

From Publishers Weekly
In this compelling but unbalanced work, the father of a young girl with dwarfism explores how her condition shapes her life as well as his. Kennedy, a journalist by trade, leaves few aspects of being a little person unexplored-from circus history and the fate of a Jewish dwarf in Nazi Germany to the current-day exploitation of little people in porn films and the annual convention of the Little People of America. Kennedy doesn't shy away from difficult issues, including the proper terminology for a little person, whether dwarves qualify as disabled, and the ethical question of terminating a fetus carrying the gene for dwarfism. But though Kennedy interviews a staggering number of people, we rarely hear his daughter's voice, making it difficult for readers to "see the world through Becky's eyes," as the subtitle suggests they will. In many ways, this account is more about Becky's effect on Kennedy's life than it is about her own. "The truth is that dwarfism has been a lot better for me than it's been for Becky," he writes. Kennedy's honesty about his difficulty raising Becky is refreshing, but he can occasionally appear emotionally removed. While his straightforward prose style avoids self-pity, it also, unfortunately, often fails to convey warmth. Still, Kennedy offers provocative commentary on the danger of relying on charitable rather than government-funded care for disabled children, and a deep critique of a "culture in which the disabled and their families are seen as being somehow responsible for their own misfortunes." 16-page photo insert.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review
"... brutally honest and intellectually riveting. Kennedy shifts seamlessly from humor to heartbreak, and he's not afraid to disturb readers." -- Child Magazine, April 2004

"... extraordinary, a heartfelt yet not maudlin story of the achondroplasia - dwarfism - of Mr. Kennedy's young daughter." -- Wall Street Journal, October 24, 2003

"Kennedy ... explores the emotional and practical meaning of having a child who is different." -- Salon, December 16, 2003

"Kennedy brings a father's concern and a journalist's craftsmanship to bear on his well-researched book." -- Courier Post, South Jersey, October 25, 2003

"Kennedy's an ideal guide ... He takes us on a journey that is both singular and universal for any parent." -- Boston Globe, February 23, 2004

"So much for us to consider . . . told in wonderfully affecting and summoning language by a thoughtful and introspectively energetic father . . ." -- Robert Coles, best-selling author of The Moral Intelligence of Children and the Pulitzer Prize-winning Children of Crisis

Review

Customer Reviews

A big appreciation from a Little Admirer!
For once we have a book which is extremely positive and respectful to people of Short Stature. It has to appeal to both small statured people and ESPECIALLY to parents of small statured children. Reading Dan's account of his own daughter's trauma (and his own!) in her early years, makes one appreciate life!

He then develops a book, second to none, about all manner of issues related to dwarfism, both now and in history.

It HAS to be a book for everyone to read! Gripping from beginning to end, and at the end, the reader can't help but be extremely well informed about Small Statured People.

Dan has a winner on his hands, which HAS to be on everyone's "Must Have" list for Christmas!

Well done Dan, and good luck to all who read this book!

Little People by Dan Kennedy
A well-written and interesting look at the human side of dwarfism, including dwarfism's repercussions to the individual and family members. Author Dan Kennedy has made a concerted effort to include as many facets of dwarfism as possible, things that others can never know without reading a book like this. This book is not just for little people themselves and families involved with dwarfism, but doctors and other healthcare professionals, teachers, therapists, and anyone interested in learning more about the strength of the human spirit. A very engaging and worthwhile book!

Thought provoking
In 1992 Dan and Barbara Kennedy felt they owned the world with the birth of their first daughter. However, that realm is rocked when the doctor informs the couple that their daughter Becky suffers from achondroplasia, the most commonly known form of dwarfism. The good news is that the child will have a normal life span and intelligence. Once the shock passes, the couple showered their beloved firstborn with love and encouragement.

Besides the reaction and insight into how Becky sees the world, the author researched dwarfism past and present and explains quite succinctly the distinction between various types of dwarfism. In an ironic twist from what one would expect Mr. Kennedy also makes a poignant somewhat emotional argument against genetic cleansing eliminating many of these "differences" outside the acceptable mainstream of society. He feels diversity should be honored and included for the better good of all. Not everyone will agree with the author out of concern for the individual, but Mr. Jenkins fears homogeny may go too far for society as a whole.

Parts warning, parts loving and nurturing, and parts historical, LITTLE PEOPLE: LEARNING TO SEE THE WORLD THROUGH MY DAUGHTER'S EYES is a powerful angst-laden social treatise inside a tender family journal.

Harriet Klausner