Sitting Pretty: The View from My Ordinary, Resilient, Disabled Body

by Rebekah Taussig Narrated by Rebekah Taussig

Overview

A memoir-in-essays from disability advocate and creator of the Instagram account @sitting_pretty Rebekah Taussig, processing a lifetime of memories to paint a beautiful, nuanced portrait of a body that looks and moves differently than most.

Growing up as a paralyzed girl during the 90s and early 2000s, Rebekah Taussig only saw disability depicted as something monstrous (The Hunchback of Notre Dame), inspirational (Helen Keller), or angelic (Forrest Gump). None of this felt right; and as she got older, she longed for more stories that allowed disability to be complex and ordinary, uncomfortable and fine, painful and fulfilling.

Writing about the rhythms and textures of what it means to live in a body that doesn't fit, Rebekah reflects on everything from the complications of kindness and charity, living both independently and dependently, experiencing intimacy, and how the pervasiveness of ableism in our everyday media directly translates to everyday life.

Disability affects all of us, directly or indirectly, at one point or another. By exploring this truth in poignant and lyrical essays, Taussig illustrates the need for more stories and more voices to understand the diversity of humanity. Sitting Pretty challenges us as a society to be patient and vigilant, practical and imaginative, kind and relentless, as we set to work to write an entirely different story.

Editorial Reviews

AUGUST 2020 - AudioFile

Rebecca Taussig’s humor and passion shine as she delivers this illuminating collection of essays about disability. Taussig captures the ups and downs of ordinary life in a disabled body; she discusses dating, navigating her first year of teaching, and searching for an accessible apartment, in particular. As she celebrates disabled lives, culture, and activism, she examines the ableist systems that create barriers for disabled folks: lack of access, stigma, invisibility, harmful media portrayals. Like her writing, her narration is friendly and warm. Playful asides bring levity to the serious subject matter, and her willingness to be vulnerable—in her performance and in the stories she tells—makes this a powerful listen. Part wake-up call, part call to action, this audiobook will resonate with anyone who lives in a body, disabled or nondisabled. L.S. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine

Emily Ladau

"Sitting Pretty is the book I needed years ago as I grappled with my sense of self and my identity as a disabled woman. I put it down while reading only long enough to collect myself each time waves of emotion crashed over me. Rebekah's spunky, self-aware wit, combined with education that never feels didactic, make this book a worthwhile and rewarding read."

Grace Bonney

"Rebekah Taussig's writing is a gift that keeps giving. Her voice is honest, vulnerable and welcoming...It was a joy to read and listen to Rebekah's words. This beautiful book helped me ask questions, open my heart, and remind me to look more closely at the world around me and what small part we can all have in making it a better, more accessible one." 

Megan Jayne Crabbe

"Rebekah writes in a way that is somehow both world-shakingly profound and beautifully intimate. Her voice is unforgettable in its power to make you feel, question, learn, and grow. There aren't words for how much the world needs this book."

Lennard J. Davis

"A compelling personal book whose confidential voice leads the reader into the author’s vividly lived world of disability.  Smart and funny, [Sitting Pretty] does double duty revealing not only the intimate life of a disabled woman but the flaws of the world around her that seeks to repress and contain her." 

Product Details

BN ID:	2940172657672
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	08/25/2020
Edition description:	Unabridged
Sales rank:	535,941

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