Dwarf: A Memoir
Most people eventually learn that not only does the world not revolve around them but it doesn’t even bend to their liking. While some never learn, DiDonato had to face these hard truths sooner and more cruelly than others. Born with a relatively rare genetic disorder called diastrophic dysplasia, at 11 she was not much taller than a preschooler. With dwarfishly shortened arms and legs, DiDonato was unable to perform even such simple tasks as flipping on a light switch or getting a carton of milk from the middle shelf of a refrigerator, much less brush her own hair and tend to personal hygiene. The independence most preteens enjoy was impossible for her. Her physical want of stature and reach, however, did not extend to the length and breadth of her grit and determination. So she endured several torturous surgical procedures to increase her height by an astonishing fourteen inches. DiDonato’s dramatic memoir is testament to the realist’s view of life—use every tool in your toolbox to adjust to the world around you. --Donna Chavez