Tall Tales

Arianne Cohen ’03—a onetime Harvard Magazine Ledecky Undergraduate Fellow— is publishing a second book—The Tall Book: A Celebration of Life on High, which promises "a fascinating and informative look into the world of tall people"...

In her first book, Arianne Cohen ’03—a onetime Harvard Magazine Ledecky Undergraduate Fellow—offered fix-it tips for "the repair-impaired." Cohen's second book—The Tall Book: A Celebration of Life on High, with a December 2008 release date—promises "a fascinating and informative look into the world of tall people."

In a recent New York Times op-ed, Cohen gives us a taste. Writing on the occasion of the death of Sandy Allen—height: 7 feet, 7 1/4 inches—Cohen (who herself is 6 feet, 3 inches tall) recalls the admiration she felt for Allen as a child, "from my vantage point as the tallest little girl in Delmar, N.Y.," and the sadness and anger she felt when, as an adult, she interviewed Allen and learned that the world had essentially treated her as a circus freak:

She was just 18 inches taller than everyone else. In a world of Michael Phelpses and teeny gymnasts, she wasn’t so different. She had a button nose, smooth pale skin, clear blue eyes. If she hadn’t grown in all directions, “I probably would have gotten married, settled down and had umpteen million kids,” she told me.

Read Cohen's columns from her days as an undergraduate (Sleeping Smarter, A Woman's Studies, Love Nesting 101), as well as her 2004 Letter from Phnom Penh, in the Harvard Magazine archives.

You might also like

The Roman Empire’s Cosmopolitan Frontier

Genetic analysis reveals a culture enriched from both sides of the Danube.

Tobacco Smoke and Tuberculosis

Harvard researchers illuminate a longstanding epidemiological connection. 

Discourse and Discipline

Harvard’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences broaches two tough topics.

Most popular

Small-Town Roots

Professors’ humble beginnings, concentration choices, and a mini history of Harvard and Radcliffe presidents

Vita: Fanny Bullock Workman

Brief life of a feisty mountaineer: 1859-1925

Being Black at Work

Realizing the full potential of black employees

More to explore

Illustration of a box containing a laid-off fossil fuel worker's office belongings

Preparing for the Energy Transition

Expect massive job losses in industries associated with fossil fuels. The time to get ready is now.

Apollonia Poilâne standing in front of rows of fresh-baked loaves at her family's flagship bakery

Her Bread and Butter

A third-generation French baker on legacy loaves and the "magic" of baking

Illustration that plays on the grade A+ and the term Ai

AI in the Academy

Generative AI can enhance teaching and learning but augurs a shift to oral forms of student assessment.