What if our society’s deepest prejudices weren’t about race, gender, or sexuality–but height? In his groundbreaking allegorical novel, acclaimed Jordanian author and activist Fadi Zaghmout imagines just such a world, crafting a powerful meditation on discrimination and desire that speaks directly to our contemporary debates about identity and inclusion. The Man of Middling Height follows a short dressmaker whose life is upended when she meets Tallan, a man whose middle height places him outside the rigid tall/short binary that governs their society. As their forbidden romance blossoms, they must navigate a world where height determines everything from social status to romantic possibilities. Through their story and those of surrounding characters–including a short person in a polyamorous relationship with two tall partners, and a tall activist who scandalously loves another tall person–Zaghmout deftly reframes contemporary discussions about gender identity and sexuality through the lens of height discrimination.
