'The Tall Book: A Celebration of Life From on High

Book Review. 'The Tall Book: A Celebration of Life From on High by Arianne Cohen

Why are tall people wealthier and more successful than the more diminutive in stature? And is this just the deluded malarkey of a tall author? Arianne Cohen's (now 6'3")recollections of an awkward childhood and the woes of daily life, such as apparel, airplane seats and kissing, are funny, smart and kept to a minimum in this engaging book. Cohen segues among the endocrinologists, psychologists and social theorists, cleverly establishing connections and exploring the subtle ways that height confers advantage. Tall people are perceived more as dominant, and this glow becomes "embedded into our cultural consciousness as truth," Cohen writes. "It's a self-fulfilling prophecy. And that's the tall advantage."