{"product_id":"little-people-learning-to-see-the-world-through-my-daughters-eyes-9781579546687","title":"Little People: Learning to See the World Through My Daughter's Eyes","description":"\u003cp\u003eA week after her birth in 1992  Dan Kennedys firstborn daughter was diagnosed with achondroplasia  the most common type of dwarfism. Reassured by doctors that Becky would have normal intelligence and a normal life span  Dan and his wife  Barbara  quickly adjusted to the reality of her condition. What wasnt so easy was grasping peoples attitudes toward those with physical differences.  In Little People  award-winning journalist Dan Kennedy explores dwarfism from ancient times  when dwarfs held an honored position in some cultures  to more modern days when they were featured in freak shows and treated as human guinea pigs by Nazi scientists. While sharing his own poignant experiences  Kennedy works in wonderful passages about dwarf subculture  including the fever pitch of the dating scene during the annual Little People of America convention  and the caste system that exists among those with different varieties of the condition. Kennedy profiles individuals whose small stature has helped them to succeed  and others who have allowed themselves to be exploited and abused.  But the most controversial ground covered in the book is the authors hard look at medical screening procedures  or designer genetics  that already make it possible for parents to eliminate differences ranging from dwarfism to Down syndrome and could soon target genetic traits such as manic depression and homosexuality. While it is true that there has never been a better time for those who are outside the mainstream  whether one is wheelchair-bound  mentally challenged  or gay  it is also clear that most parents do not wish these differences for their own children. Kennedy argues that there is a cultural value to preserving differences  and that eliminating them may harm society in unpredictable ways.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45647609626677,"sku":"ByrdShop_1579546684","price":123.05,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/9781579546687.jpg?v=1781695527","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/little-people-learning-to-see-the-world-through-my-daughters-eyes-9781579546687","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}