The Little Giant of Aberdeen County

Her physical enormity has made Truly an object of derision all her life. But when she is forced to care for her sister’s child, her brother-in-law’s degradation gives her the strength to pursue her destiny…and love.

The best things don’t always come in the smallest packages

“The day I laid Robert Morgan to rest was remarkable for two reasons. First, even though it was August, the sky overhead was as rough and cold as a January lake, and second, it was the day I started to shrink.”—from The Little Giant of Aberdeen County

“Truly Plaice, a giant woman with a big personality and an even bigger heart, can teach us all a lesson or two. One of the most important is that we often find family when we least expect it, but most need it. The Little Giant of Aberdeen County is a moving novel that’ll stay with you a long time.”—Sharon Fantera, Editorial Director

“In such an original, compelling way, Tiffany Baker taps into each reader’s insecurities and desire for acceptance. While Truly is a unique and unforgettable character, we’re all little giants under the skin.”—Beth Goehring, Editor

“There is a little—or a lot—of Truly in each of us, and her story will leave you impassioned, affected and most of all, hopeful. A dazzling debut!”—Jennifer Hufford-Varrone, Senior Editor, Doubleday Large Print Book Club

“Some books entertain us. Others make us laugh, or cry, or fall in love. This one will make you think. Little Giant is a powerful, thought-provoking novel about our space in the world and of the things that imprison us as well as set us free.”—Christine Zika, Editor-in-Chief, The Literary Guild

A Special Note From The Author

What a Blue Ribbon Means to Me

When I think of blue ribbons, I automatically picture a table at a county fair laden with homemade jams and pickles. I picture a gaggle of women clucking over spoonfuls of plum chutney and raspberry jelly, and the spectacled town mayor giving first prize to an upstart entry of onion marmalade. I imagine trophy sows, and a pie-eating competition, clouds of cotton candy, and game booths where the reward is a plastic bag with three goldfish tied up inside. I think dipping into a book should be like going to the county fair. You should meet old friends, eat a lot of sticky food you’ll regret later, have a go on some sort of spinning ride, and win an enormous, plush animal. In a good book there should be some version of fireworks, unforeseen romances, town gossip, and, yes, upsets in the jam competition. At the end of things, you should come home messy.

Truly Plaice and the town of Aberdeen belong to this world, a realm that I think is both familiar to most Americans but also disappearing, and this is one of the reasons I write novels: to forge kinships both on the page and with the reader, to capture a community, and, hopefully, to make a carnival come to life. When you’re at the fair you know it isn’t real, but that’s what makes it so exciting. People aren’t themselves. The mayor could run off with the librarian. The town geek could end up stealing a beauty queen’s heart behind the hot dog stand. Anything could happen and when it does, there’s always a crowd to talk about it.

So thank you for choosing The Little Giant of Aberdeen County to sit on the National Blue Ribbon Bookshelf. It’s an honor and a pleasure, and I hope that you and your friends enjoy it so much you decide to give it your own blue ribbons. Bon vivant!
—Tiffany Baker