From the beloved stars of TLC’s The Little Couple comes an uplifting and moving behind-the-scenes account of how the pair met, fell in love, and overcame huge obstacles to become successful professionals and parents.
Jennifer Arnold and Bill Klein have inspired millions as stars of TLC’s hit show The Little Couple . Though they both have dwarfism, they have knocked down every obstacle they have encountered together with a positive, can-do attitude. The show has featured the lives of Jennifer (a respected neonatologist) and Bill (a successful entrepreneur) from their marriage in 2009, to the launch of their pet shop, to the adoption of their children, to Jen’s overcoming cancer.
Now, for the first time Jen and Bill are letting readers into their private lives with behind-the-scenes, never-before-told stories about how they fell in love, what inspires them, and the passions that drive their success.
Jen and Bill have a simple purpose in life: make the world a better place through encouragement and education. A must-have for fans of the show or anyone who has ever faced a difficult challenge, Life Is Short (No Pun Intended) gives readers a glance at what inspires these positive people to approach life with such optimism and share their lives with the public every day.
I have watched every single episode of the t.v. reality show, The Little Couple, about the lives of the authors of this book. In fact, it is one of my most favorite shows. Therefore, I really enjoyed their book, although I knew most of the things in it already. The only thing new was finding out that Jen's parents had divorced, her dad had remarried and divorced, and then her parents had remarried each other! (By the way, I love her mom, Judy.) Jen and Bill appear to be one of the nicest couples on t.v., so respectful and loving of each other, so intelligent, hard-working, and loving and dedicated to their two children. I never hear anyone on social media bad-mouthing this couple or their show; they are truly well-liked. It is a testament to their character and how they are doing their show that people truly admire them. As an adoptive parent myself (from Guatemala) and a cancer (breast) survivor, I also could relate a LOT to their story, so this book was especially meaningful to me. I am so excited over their adoptions of Will and Zoey, both such cute kids. Will is so much like Bill that it's eerie and he was obviously meant to be his son! Zoey is so so cute. Both children appear very intelligent and I can't wait for the new season to begin to see how they are doing and how Bill's latest surgery went. The book was well written and I liked the alternating chapters from each of JEn's and Bill's points of view. For a change, even though it was an advanced uncorrected proof, I did not find any editing errors. Kudos to them for that! When I got this book, I dropped the other books I was reading to immediately read this one!
**I received this book free from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.**
This one is hard to review. I love this couple and the life stories they share here are interesting and important to read from a "don't bully, people may be different but they all can make a difference" perspective. Bill and Jen are not authors. Their editor did them a disservice with this book, leaving in entire sections that should have been pulled (the wedding chapter was where this was most apparent to me as their wedding was like every single wedding I have ever been to, I didn't need the play by play to include that their maid of honor and best man gave speeches that made them cry). Jen's best chapters were those where she discussed medical issues, both for her skeletal displasia surgeries as a child and her cancer treatments as an adult. Not surprising given her background in medical education/instruction. Bill's best chapter was the one addressing his severe depression and loneliness during college, especially where he talked about staying with a girlfriend who had cheated simply because he feared being alone again (which I've seen among my girlfriends, but rarely do I see this discussed from a man's point of view). All in all, not a horrible book, I just wish someone had been a little tougher with the chopping block in the editing room.
This is a pretty good autobiography written by Dr. Jennifer Arnold and her Husband Bill Klein who are the stars of TLC's The Little Couple which tells of their lives in and out of hospitals as a little person, how they met, and how they started their family. If you would like to read more, then check this book out for yourself.
I enjoyed checking this book out and as a fan of The Little Couple, I decided to check the book out. Its cool they added photos of their family in this book and more. If you like autobiographies, def check this book out. It is available to borrow at your local library and to buy wherever books are sold.
I loved this book as much as I love the show! 💖Jenn and Bill seem like such a loving couple and amazing parents. This book highlights some of their biggest hardships and how they overcame them to be successful in life! I appreciate their candor when writing this book. They are so inspirational! I highly recommend this book!
Life is Short by Jennifer Arnold, MD and her husband Bill Klein is a remarkable book about one remarkable family. It’s a book that teaches readers to accept what has been given to you in your life. To reach and fulfill your dreams even if the world tells you that you are not able to. To look for the positive things that come when negativity is thrown at you. To live life to the fullest because as Jen and Bill said “ Life is Short”.
Both Jennifer Arnold and Bill Klein are not your average person, she is only 3 feet 2 inches and he is only 4 feet. Now that might lead to a lot of problems and it did for them but it has not stopped them for doing what everyone else in the world does. They have loving families, great friends, good jobs, two amazing and adorable children, they have their hobbies (Jen’s hobby is shopping and Bill’s is cars) and they live in an average neighborhood with some adjustments here and there based on their stature.
Being a Little Person is not easy and both have had their fair share of being picked on and bulled. Once while at the mall Bill found a note on his car reading Die Midget! This of course upset him but like everyother challenge he had faced, Bill blew it off. It took though Bill along time to let things like name calling, being made fun of and notes not get the best of him. Sadly, a one point in his life Bill was so close to ending his life but as he says something made me stop and realize I need to see all the good people and things that I have going for me in this life.
Jennifer’s story is not that much for different than Bill’s story. She has had to deal with bullies as though not as bad as Bill did. While she did not have really name calling or death notes, she did have loss of friends. She would make friends and they would not stay friends very long. The older Jen got, the harder it was to have friends. She was always the one alone at parties and school events. This might have made her think that she was not good but instead her mother made her look at all the things she was able to do. Jen always had an eye for creativity and so she became the party planner for all the school social events. When Jen was faced with a challenge or disappointment, she always looked at the positive outcome of the situation.
Jen and Bill’s love story is one for the books. It’s a typical …..”The first time we met we knew we were meant for eachother” kind of a story. They had seen each other on a dating website called Little People of America and had written to each other. They wrote to each other for a while, then came the phone calls and then the face to face meeting. They hit it off from the start and now have been married since April 12, 2008.
Bill and Jennifer are not only a loving couple to each other but also two loving parents to two adopted children named Zoey and Will. Both Zoey and Will are also of small stature and so stinkin cute. It’s been as Jen puts it a long rollercoaster ride of a journey but all worth it in the end.
Readers, if you ever feel like feeling sorry for yourself because of your struggles or your own disability, read this book. You will realize as I did, nothing can really stop you from being the person you were meant to be and that you can have a wonderful and a remarkable life just by being who you are.
I wanted to like this book. I really did. But the editing! I noticed one typo in the book, but editing is so much more than proofreading. It's about content and adding sparkle to the storytelling, and is so, so important for an autobiography, perhaps especially for one written by Biology majors.
Some parts of the book (especially Jennifer Arnold's chapters) were well-written and interesting. All the medical information was interesting to me, perhaps more so because my own son also has dwarfism. I felt connected to them as they talked about their experiences with Little People of America, or the legendary Dr. Kopits, as I have heard stories about him in conversations with other people in real life at LPA events.
However, there were superfluous details, the type of detailed descriptions of people that wander into and out of our lives without leaving much impact. There were narrative lines that just didn't make logical sense (like getting a car at 16, then getting a job to pay for its maintenance and working that job all four years of high school). Bill Klein's sections were particularly cringe-worthy, and without the support of a good editor he was left sounding arrogant and/or like he has something to prove. One specific example that sticks out in my memory was an entire paragraph he devoted to explaining how the person selected to plan his high school reunion didn't do a very good job and he would have done better. Any decent editor would have taken that paragraph out -- it didn't move the story along and just left Bill Klein sounding really, really petty. I've only seen about two episodes of their show, so I couldn't read with the rose-colored glasses of a loyal fan... He seems nice enough from what I've seen on tv, but after reading the book, I cannot STAND this guy and I honestly hope to never cross paths with him.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
One of my favorite reality shoes is "The Little Couple," which stars Dr. Jennifer Arnold and her husband, Bill Klein. So I was excited to see that they had written a memoir of their lives, both singly and together.
This couple have overcome amazing odds to have a happy and very successful life, and their stories of growing up and their adult lives so far are upbeat and very positive. Both Jennifer and Bill talk about their various medical procedures they had to undergo as children and they explain it in very readable terms. (and I was surprised to find that I actually had some of the exact surgeries and castings as they did when I was a kid - ie the spica cast that doctors used to try to fix my own hip dysplasia).
My favorite section of the book is Bill and Jennifer's love story - finding each other through the internet dating site designed just for Little People, their beautiful beach wedding, and their hilarious honeymoon in Bora Bora. And I so admire their story of finding their children, Will from China and Zoey from India, and how much love is surrounding that family.
This is a very inspiring book that is full of laughs, love, some tears and a lot of happiness.
Bill & Jen may not be the best writer's in the world (although Bill is quite witty and his account seems more realistic; I enjoyed his chapters slightly more then Jen's), but this is a wonderful book for fans of the show, The Little Couple.
Learned more about their growing up and personal struggles and really admire their attitude toward life. Plus, Will and Zoey are a super adorable addition to their world!
I really enjoyed this book. It did get a bit slow when they talked about all the medical stuff. I also wish they would have talked more about the adoption of their children. I like that they kept the kids original names as their middle names. I think they are super nice people and are great parents.
I enjoyed reading about this family. Amazing how their teen years reflected the trials and tribulations of typical teens, with the challenge of their physical differences thrown in. Very touching. Wow, some of the situations they had to face are truly heartbreaking. I am glad they persevered, and now have a wonderful marriage and family. This is an emotional and uplifting story.
What I read of this book was really good as I am totally enamored with this amazing family. But total disclosure I did not finish the book. I think it is because there were alot of references to medical situations because of course this family has been through a great deal of medical crisis. And with my family going through a medical crisis it just hit too close to home right now. I hope to finish the book one day.
Di solito non compro questo genere di libri: fatta eccezione per un paio di sportivi dei quali ero molto appassionata da adolescente (ora continuo ad apprezzarli e stimarli ma quel fervore giovanile si è smorzato) e una microscopica biografia di Gordon Ramsay acquistata per completare un ordine, questo è il primo libro di questo genere che acquisto. Se l'ho fatto è perché il messaggio di ottimismo trasmesso da Bill e Jen nel loro show televisivo mi aveva toccato il cuore e nel libro, che si concentra principalmente sui primi anni della loro vita, è ancora più forte: è una sorta di autobiografia a due voci (i capitoli scritti dai due si alternano) che narra gioia e dolori di quest'uomo e di questa donna, drammi e conquiste che li hanno fatti diventare quello che sono oggi. Dal punto di vista tecnico non è un gran libro perché è una scrittura molto semplice e spesso il medesimo concetto viene ribadito dalla voce narrante in più di un capitolo, quasi fossero testi slegati e quindi non ci si aspetti che il lettore li legga tutti quanti, ma non per questo è una lettura meno piacevole né i messaggi veicolati da questo libro sono meno chiari. Questo libro mostra al lettore che la vita merita di essere vissuta nonostante le ferite che portiamo nel corpo e nell'anima, che l'amore di chi è al nostro fianco può sostenerci ma per andare avanti la forza deve venire da noi stessi e soprattutto che spesso il limite più grande che abbiamo è quello che ci portiamo dentro e quindi non è l'involucro che contiene la nostra anima a determinare quello che possiamo o non possiamo fare.
In the book Life is Short, you hear the story of Jennifer Arnold and Bill Klein two people that were born with dwarfism called Spondyloepiphyseal Dysplasia. Jen who is a neonatologist, and Bill is an entrepreneur, of there shop, Rocky and Maggie's pet shop, and their 2 kids they adopted Zoey and Will that also have a type of dwarfism They are also the stars from the TLC show called The Little Couple You hear their inspiring stories, and the obstacles they had to go through, and how they overcame them, together. Also with the support of their families and friends, that stuck with them through everything they went through. Like with Bill going through about 20 surgeries and Jen more than 30. And no matter what they have all ways got the support they need.
I would recommend this book to anyone that likes biographies and or is looking for a book about a happy family, or I would recommend this book to anyone with dwarfism so they can hear others peoples stories that could have possibly went to the same thing they did.
I love watching the show and I loved reading this book.
They are such an inspiration to me. Their attitudes towards life and each other are something for us all to strive for. The world could use more people like them.
They would definitely be someone I would like to be friends with.
"The Little Couple" in book form! All about the lives of Bill & Jennifer Arnold, both before & after children. There's a nice structure set up around the chapters, w/Bill & Jen alternating. Delightful book, but there are some distractions. The writing style for both of them is odd: they each begin at birth, so their aim appears to be to provide comprehensive understanding of their medical conditions, w/many scenes understandably played out in hospitals or doctors' offices. However, the information they provide sometimes seems overly detailed, trivial or irrelevant: for example, Jen gives a detailed ancestral history of her orthopedic physician (his descent from relatives in Hungary who fled to Argentina after WWII, got his medical degree in Bueno Aires, etc.), while Bill details things like his mother's maiden name, specifics of his father's Vietnam tour of duty, such as the model-number of his helicopter (UH1-1H), & towns in which he was stationed. There is a lot of delving into somewhat complex family backgrounds (both of their parents divorced & remarried at various times, so this includes half-siblings w/their spouses' families, etc.. which is tedious at times to follow. There is also a lot of reference to each specific hospital they were in & names of doctors they used - maybe this is to help other Little People who may be reading the book (to find specialists)? I found these details to be little bumps, which interrupted the reading-flow, on an otherwise smooth road. The writing-style was simple, yet generally very readable. I was a bit taken back & even slightly disturbed to hear Bill's proud accounts of his alpha/dominating style of behavior from toddlerhood on: arguments w/his mother in the supermarket that drew a concerned eyewitness to try & intervene, his bullying of his brothers to establish his authority as the eldest, right up to braggish college missteps & excesses w/alcohol, some of which seemed developmentally appropriate but also more exaggerated than expected. Maybe he was gratified to establish a sense of power in the midst of disability, which is somewhat understandable, but it seemed to be his strategy for quite a long time. With his father being a cop, it makes me wonder if there was an air of toxic-macho in their all-male siblings household? It just seemed so utterly uncharacteristic of the Bill I knew from the TV-series, that it was a little jolting, but apparently he worked thru it to become the Bill he is today & learned his lessons from it as we all do. The book succeeds in capturing the often inevitable trial-&-error nature of medical diagnostics, w/various attempts to understand the couple's medical condition/s having to be rethought or approached from different angles to finally land on effective treatment plans. I was glad they showed this aspect of the process they had to walk through, because it illustrates the severity & seriousness of the impediments they've overcome & gives pause to the reader, in realizing how truly heroic Bill & Jen have been throughout their whole lives (more than I'd understood from their series, which only shows current medical issues, in & of themselves daunting enough w/Jen's cancer & Bill' orthopedic surgery!). This book could be spectacular, just for the compelling content about their personal stories, but it's filled w/little things that detract slightly from understanding the story (the captions on their few pages of photographs were confusing & some of the photo selections seemed random - ie; a pic of Bill & his Mom w/the back of Bill's head? - was that really the only pic of Bill & his Mom that they could find?? Also there were times when they related their experiences in hard to understand ways: for example, Bill mentions that after surgeries w/full-body cast he routinely shampoos his hair over bedside using a garbage bag?? How does he do that, & what does that even mean???). I'm not sure if they had an editor to help w/the writing of their book, but some kind of assistance could have made this book truly outstanding, because its content is remarkable, touching not only upon the couple's medical conditions & treatment; but also on the painful emotional states they underwent w/all of it, including deep pain from thwarted attempts at belonging & affiliation, the hurt of rejection, including *** SPOILER ALERT *** Bill's short-lived attempt at suicide during college. This book pulls no punches. I got a whole new appreciation & respect for these individuals & their journey, especially considering all they've been able to accomplish, such as Bill's business ventures & Jen's ascent to becoming a Doctor in her chosen field. A veritable tribute to resilience!!! Every time I put the book down, I was eager to get back to it. A really good selection.
Content Warnings: graphic depictions of surgeries, including on children; discrimination, bullying and hate against differently-abled individuals, brief mention of suicide, death in the family, orphans, graphic depiction of cancer treatment, miscarriage
I've followed The Little Couple for years, had watched the show for a time and also read their second book, Think Big, a while ago. I adore this couple, and find their story of triumph over adversity fascinating. I also admire them greatly for their ability to open their homes to TWO children with disabilities. Even though this book had sat on my shelves for a while(in part because I had forgotten if I had read this one too!), I knew that once I read it, there was no way it wouldn't get a below average rating from me.
Fortunately, I was correct in my assumption! I really loved this story, how each chapter alternated between Bill and Jen's perspective, and how we got an even deeper look into this incredible family and how they came to be in the spotlight for everyone to see.
I will say, this book is not for everyone. Most of the book discusses Bill and Jen's childhood years, undergoing some incredibly extensive surgeries that in the 70s and 80s only had a small percent chance of working. Reading about children being tested on, even to their advantage and wellbeing, can be difficult. Also, reading the level of discrimination these two underwent their entire lives can be distressing. Then, the book ends(no spoilers if you've seen the show!) with even more medical challenges surrounding this couple and their children. This isn't a book for the faint of heart, but they have kept their general audience in mind, and it's still family-friendly.
I loved this book a lot, and I have only docked it one star because the book reads very familiar to those who have seen the show and read their other material. I didn't expect a brand new book here, just being honest for other fans of The Little Couple show. But it was super, super cute, and a must read for fans of the show.
Highly recommend for fans of the show, fans of great family stories, and of course, for other Little People that are seeking stories to relate to.
This book Life is Short is about Jennifer Arnold and Bill Klein. They both have been diagnosed with a type of dwarfism called Spondyloepiphyseal Dysplasia. They have been through ups and down and thick and thin with treatment. They were both diagnosed when they were younger witch made their childhood rough for both them and their family. Their family has stuck by them through their treatments and their surgerys. Even though there were some strings pulled in both families. Bill has gotten support for more than 20 surgeries and Jen more than 30. Bill and Jen met in the hospital while they were both recovering from surgeries. They went to many doctors when they were younger and nobody could figure out what was wrong with them. Jen finally found a doctor named Dr. McKusick who figured out what she had and diagnosed her. Dr. McKusick ran a lot of tests and even a lot of surgeries. This book is also about their adult years it talks about how they still have surgeries when they are older for various issues. Also in this book it talks about their kids. They didn’t have kids of their own for health issues but they adopted two wonderful kids. Their son Will is from China and he has skeletal dysplasia witch is dwarfism. They also adopted a daughter Zoey form India and she also has skeletal dysplasia. They are all happy together and they act like a normal family even though they all have a type of dwarfism they aren’t letting that get in their way. I would recommend this book because I thought it was a good lesson and you get to learn a lot about how they deal with their struggles and how they kept their head up even if they feel like a mess. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes to learn about surgeries and different surgeries for dwarfism but not only surgeries but someone's life that has dwarfism and about their struggles and how they face them. I liked that this book has a lot of life lessons for instance don’t take life for granted because someone has it worse than you. Something that I disliked is that it switches back and forth from Jen and Bill and I got confused on who was talking and whose story I am reading. Besides that I thought this was a really good book and I would recommend it.
This is the perfect go-to book for healthy doses of inspiration and information about Spondyloepiphyseal (Skeletal) Dysplasia. In tag fashion Jen and Bill share parts about their entry into this world, their family, challenges they faced being short people, and (in leaps and bounds... no pun intended) their successes and achievements.
At times I found myself rereading paragraphs, forgetting which one was narrating, despite their unique experiences. Not only did they have different dysplasia’s but their support systems differed. Their personalities contrasted some too, albeit in complimenting ways, what had me anxiously turning pages anticipating how the two would ‘eventually’ meet. Nicely done. Very nicely done. Turned out to be well worth the wait. Their courtship, especially the way Jen spelled things out, was a courtship that any true romantic would dream of experiencing. B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L. Gosh, that was so beautiful.
Overall, it took a day to read this memoir, but I could go on forever. Above all I truly thank this couple for sharing so much of their life. There is so much to learn, to like, to love, to laugh at, and that much more to be humbled and inspired by reading ‘Life is Short.’ Simply, A Must! Highly recommended.
This is an autobiographical work about "The Little Couple" that has a show on TLC. They are an inspiration in that they are both dwarfs and have gone against the odds. They are now a family of four and speak and this books takes us on the journey with them.
Both Jen Arnold and Bill Klein discuss their individual stories in alternating chapters of this book. It begins with their birth and childhood then leads to their dating, getting marriage, and adopting two "little people". Although what they accomplished and how they were able to become successful adults is remarkable it doesn't translate well in this book. Some of their memories clearly showed their struggles and helped introduce us to what it is like to be a dwarf. Other chapters seemed to have little purpose and focused too much on the minutia of daily life for example the wedding location & venue. Also, the epilogue was allegedly written by both of them but feels awkward and as if a third party wrote it instead of one or both of them.
It's interesting to read about this inspirational couple. Unfortunately, they really needed an editor or someone to give this book more focus. It could have been much more powerful
I read the book Life is short which is written by Bill Klein and Jennifer Arnold. This book is a autobiography. I overall really enjoyed this book. This book taught me to be thankful for everything I have in life. It also taught me enjoy life because it goes by fast! I would recommend this book to anybody to give it a try. But if you enjoy autobiographies you would really enjoy this book. It wasn’t very hard to understand except for some vocabulary used throughout the book. I would rate it 4.5 out of 5 stars for that reason. This book is a TV show too. It is called The Little Couple. They also have a second book called Think Big. Overall I really enjoyed this book and would recommend if the description sounded interesting to you!
“Life Is Short,” a New York Times Bestseller, tells the story of a couple with dwarfism from birth through their eight-year marriage at the time of writing. Jennifer and Bill alternate writing chapters sharing common experiences, including numerous orthopedic surgeries and discrimination after college graduation. The couple shares the challenge of one member of a professional couple making an interstate job change, the joy of building a home customized to their size, and complicated path to building a family of four. I highly recommend the story of these reality TV stars of “The Little Couple” told with love, humor, and integrity.
I admit that I picked up this book already being a fan of the The Little Couple show. I also love biographies and autobiographies in general, especially the ones that make you feel like you're sitting right there listening to the author's stories in person. While the latter half of the book covered moments in their lives that were also featured on their TV show, it was interesting to read their behind the scenes take on the events. I found the book to be an easy yet captivating read especially intrigued by all the references to both Jen and Bill's separate time growing up spent in my home town and the moments where they crossed each other's paths not realizing that today they'd be happily married with a sweet family.
Loved reading more about their story, their love story. Their childhood. It's amazing what they had to go through and what so many little people as children go through. Fans of the show should read the book, it gives great insight to their family and as your reading you can actually visualize the people they are telling about. I recommend it to fans for sure, but also any one who wants to understand the life of someone other than themselves.
In alternating chapters, they describe their childhoods (they were bullied), their educations (he, too, has a college degree in science), their families (loving and supportive), falling in love and adopting their children.
It's a great behind the scenes look at the family we all love (well, two out of three in this household's random sample).
I love Jen and Bill! They have done so much to show their readers and viewers about a positive loving family life and the ups and downs of living with a disability. What is more, their adopted children Will and Zoey are just adorable. This book introduces another level to their story, and I find that knowing Jen and Bill better makes me love them more!
Enjoyed comparing the book content to the TV program. A good insight into some of the struggles of people with differences and disabilities. Inspiration to remain strong during times of inconvenience and troubles. Admiration for the standards, determination, and contributions these two share with society in their effort to make our world a better place.