This week in all classes we read the true story of Ella Kate Ewing.  Ella Kate was born in 1872 and by age 7 showed signs of gigantism.  She continued to grow until age 22 at which time she stood 8 ft. 4 in. tall!

We’ve had good discussions about the challenges that this condition brought about and we’ve had fun looking at some “actual size” mock-ups of her dresser, her shoe, and her glove.

The book is very well written, and a tribute to a young woman who made the best of a tough situation.  She embraced her gigantism as a way to achieve financial independence by working and touring with the circus, with the World’s Fair, etc.  At a time when many women didn’t own much themselves and rarely left their home town,  Ella owned her own house with custom-built furniture and she traveled all over the United States.