A Short Drink of Water Audiobook By Mara Altman cover art

A Short Drink of Water

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A Short Drink of Water

By: Mara Altman
Narrated by: Mara Altman
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The word pops up anywhere exaggerations are sold. Telling a tall tale. Placing a tall order. Tall, dark, and handsome. And, of course, let’s not forget the proverbial “tall drink of water”. This bothers Mara Altman, and not only because she’s five-foot-zero, but also because her experience as a journalist, humorist, and essayist has led her to challenge assumptions about human existence. Altman’s most recent book, Gross Anatomy: Dispatches from the Front (and Back), was a 2019 finalist for the Thurber Prize for American Humor, and wittily dissected long-held assumptions about our bodies for the deeper truth. Her conclusion: There is greatness in our grossness.

In her Audible Original A Short Drink of Water, Altman challenges the assumption that taller is better. Her journey to empower those at the short end of the stick (and why is it always the short end?) delivers a hilarious and heartfelt look at the differences between tall and short and how people seek to narrow them both physically and psychologically. You’ll meet people of every size and opinion in this deeply reported and richly comical ride through a world where every inch counts.

©2021 Mara Altman (P)2021 Audible Originals, LLC. Body Positivity Funny Witty Inspiring Thought-Provoking Heartfelt

About the Creator and Performer

Mara Altman is the author of two nonfiction books: Thanks for Coming: One Young Woman’s Quest for an Orgasm (HarperCollins, 2009) and Gross Anatomy: Dispatches from the Front (and Back) (Putnam, 2017), which was a finalist for Thurber Prize for American Humor. Altman also wrote eight best-selling Kindle Singles and has written for publications such as The New York Times and New York Magazine. Before that, Altman was a staff writer for The Village Voice and daily newspapers in India and Thailand. She lives in San Diego with a few other short drinks of water.

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Insightful Perspective • Humorous Approach • Excellent Author Narration • Thought-provoking Content • Personal Storytelling
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a really awesome experience
it was funny and the performance was great
I would recommend it for anyone

my first audiobook

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As a 5’2.5” person, I found this incredibly interesting. Who knew that there was so much more to being short, than being short? This is well researched, and as a parent, it tugs at your moral and emotional heartstrings. This is an interesting listen, I highly recommend!

Short and Sweet!

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This is brilliant - congratulations to Mara for her amazing new piece. It’s funny, well researched, insightful, relatable, and beautifully performed!

A Short drink of Water

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I have struggled with my short stature my whole life. I have been laughed by brothers of girls I dated, ignored by peers, and worse of all been told that people would rather be dead than be my height. I am 5’5”, not tall but unsure why death is a better option. Anyway, this book offers fantastic insight. Everyone has something they want to change about themselves. Surprisingly height is not first on my list. I won’t say I am proud of my height, just disappointed that I can sometimes be judged and treated inferior for it. Oh, about those brothers. Usually I would wait until my girlfriend left the room, and asked them if they wanted to tangle with a very experienced varsity wrestler. One took me up on it and regretted it. If Mike Tyson could be heavy weight champion at 5’10”, I am confident that compensating with a skill bridges the gap with the “real men”. No chip on my shoulder, just standing up for myself.

Very well done - Refreshing

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So great to have a writer focus on the short point of view(as a shoe woman myself). I really appreciated Mara Altman’s humor and honesty approaching this topic as well as her vulnerability talking about her own experience and as a mother. It’s a great listen, entertaining and informative.

I loved it!

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I deliberately read and listen to books about perspectives different from my own, and this was a fascinating examination of one I haven't dwelled on much. Funny, empathetic, and surprisingly well-researched.

Charming and Interesting

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The book not only shares a theory that smaller is better it also shares tales of smaller people, the psychological challenges they face in a world built for bigger.

I love how I constantly had to check myself and my built in beliefs, questioning every single one of them

I wish I was shorter

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I did not expect this story to inspire me to look at the world differently, to encourage others to as well, yet it did. Why are we so obsessed with height? There are some answers here but equal challenge to to say “it doesn’t make sense”. With a few family members and petite friends I found fodder from the author to make a case to others to look past the size of these brilliant folks. Thanks for the perspective.

Inspired to think differently about height

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The humor and research combined made this much enjoyable. 4’11 here and appreciate all that I was able to learn! I’ve always been proud of my height, but man - those comments! This is a wonderful listen for all of us shorties.

A wonderful listen for the ‘junior detectives’

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A must read / listen to! Well written and funny! We can all learn so much about life and society from Mara’s words, wether you are 7 feet tall or 4’ 2” read this book!!

Fantastic!!

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