In the Little World: A True Story of Dwarfs, Love, and Trouble

by John H. Richardson

Dr. Kopits takes me into an examining room and leans against the stainless steel bench and asks me what I'm writing about this time. When I tell him what I saw in Australia, he immediately starts to nod. "This is a great subject," he says. Then he stops, as if caught by the subject himself. I wait. After a moment, he continues. "What you are looking into is the abyss. This takes you to the very heart of a human being, to the deepest aspect of the soul. He gives me one of his solemn looks. "Because the thing is, you have to confront yourself." (from In the Little World) In 1997, almost by accident, John H. Richardson found himself sharing a hotel with more than a thousand dwarfs. Over the course of a single week, he witnessed love and anger, fear and bravery, arrogance and humility, even a bizarre romantic deception -- the entire spectrum of human emotion in one concentrated dose. But at the end of the week, he discovered that leaving the "Little World" wasn't as simple as checking out of a hotel. In fact, his journey would last a full two years. At a time when bigger often seems synonymous with better, and physical beauty serves as currency, the world of dwarfs usually passes beneath our notice. Now, in this groundbreaking work, awardwinning author John H. Richardson brings the Little World into focus. He introduces us to characters like a saintly but obsessed doctor and a mother who sacrifices her family to save her dwarf daughter. He follows two dwarf lovers from first meeting through the struggle to overcome their fear and shame and find the confidence to love each other. He becomes personally involved in a tangled and often confrontational friendship with a female dwarf. Through these stories and musings ranging from classic theories of beauty to the history of the disability movement to postmodern theories of difference, Richardson presents a world that is a skewed reflection of our own -- and offers us a glimpse into the essential human condition.

Genres: Nonfiction, Disability, Memoir

272 pages, Hardcover

First published December 1, 2001

Reviews

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author looks into the lives and culture of "little people" aka dwarves. He attends their annual convention, which is about the only time of year that little people can get out and mingle amongst themselves. As a result, the convention is very competitive as far as dating and relationships. We learn just about everything concerning little people culture--dating "normals" vs. dating little people, sex lives, feuds, you name it. I have personally known at least two dwarves, so this book helped me to understand what their world is like. Fascinating.

[Sarah Genki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating insight into realities of dwarfism. The author is flawed, angry, opinionated and often cold but the philosophical insights into his and those he researched was intriguing. Also learning of the different types of dwarfism was an eye opener.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

This review gives a good overview of this book that I got a lot out of. Insights into what it's like to be a dwarf, it has stuck with me over the years.

Richardson's introduction to the Little World begins at the Little People of America convention in Atlanta. On assignment to write a story of the convention for Esquire magazine, Richardson conducts interviews with several dwarfs. He meets Michael, looking for love and hoping to hit it off with Meredith. He also meets Jocelyn and her mother, Evelyn, who have come all the way from Australia to consult with Dr. Kopits, a doctor famous for his dedication to treating dwarfs. And then there is Andrea--defensive and easily enraged, she seems to be as fascinated with Richardson as he is with her. Even after the convention is long over, Richardson keeps in touch with the dwarfs he became closest to, following Michael and Meredith's romance, Jocelyn's multiple surgeries and their effect on her family, and Andrea's grappling with her father's illness. Richardson's writing has both immediacy and candor, but perhaps what is most special about the book is how closely he is involved in the lives of the people whose stories he is relating here. Richardson struggles with his own perceptions of beauty and physicality, challenged by Andrea's confrontational nature and Jocelyn's stoic bravery.

[Kittiya · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this to be a very interesting read. The author John Richardson had decided to go to a "Little Person Convention" that happens once a year. He felt he needed a change of pace from what he had currently been writting about. By going there and meeting the people who attend had changed his life. You follow along with the stories of people he choose to write about for about two years. He also writes about the history of "dwarves". You get to have a inside veiw of what it's like to presevere through the difficulties of living in a "big world".

[matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I could not put this down. Even when I wanted to - even when he seemed to go on and on about too many specifics in his relationship with a few of the people he meets - the book was always captivating. It brought back memories of a guy I went to school with who was a dwarf - and how utterly oblivious I was to what that meant for his life. It brought up thoughts about body perception, and how our perceptions of our "selves" can change everything about who we are as a person inside and out.
It is a troubling, confusing, disarming, and excellent book.

[Bridget · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book primarily while recovering from a hangover and suffering a migraine simultaneously. I would throw up, pass out and then pick up this book to distract myself from the throbbing pain.
Despite that, the book is really engaging and well-written. The narrator does get a little too involved in places and needed a decent proofreading (he mixes up little people in a couple of places.)

[Alexis · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the Little World gives us a unique glimpse into the lives of 3 little people, as they prefer to be called. The author describes his interactions with Andrea, Jocelyn, Michael, and Meredith with such clarity that you feel as though you're there with him.

He also explores what it means to be different in a society that prides itself on conformity. His explorations are interesting and thought provoking. It makes one consider the emphasis our society places on physical beauty.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wowzees. I have an entirely different perspective now...this book made me think bunches about disability, beauty, self & other, and human perception and boundaries.

[RunRachelRun · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating. As a 5-foot woman, I know the pleasures and terrors of being the height of an average 12-year old American child.

[Denise · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a non-fiction book about dwarfs--it was very thought provoking and it was actually disturbing in some ways about how we react to differences in people.

[Irene · Rating 2 out of 5]

Felt exploitative, particularly the detailed account of the broken marriage which did not further the reader's understanding of the subculture of dwarfs.

[Cindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fairly interesting. Besides stories of dwarfs, the author muses on beauty, postmodern theories of difference and the history of the disability movement.

[Jess Schira · Rating 3 out of 5]

Informative, but very odd book. The author seemed way to involved in lives of the people he wrote about.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I learned a lot about physical and social and health issues that dwarfs go through.

[Angiebaby · Rating 5 out of 5]

A totally fascinating look at the LPA conventions.