Rebekah Taussig

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.

The View from My Ordinary Resilient Disabled Body

Sitting Pretty

A memoir-in-essays from Rebekah Taussig, disability advocate and creator of the Instagram account @sitting_pretty, reflecting on identity, accessibility, and representation and processing a lifetime of memories to paint a more beautiful, nuanced portrait of a body that looks and moves differently than most. Rebekah Taussig has been paralyzed for as long as she can remember but didn't begin to unpack it until she was in her mid-twenties working on a PhD in disability studies. She began writing mini-essays about what it means to live as a disabled woman and exploring the limited ways we typically see disability: something monstrous (the Hunchback of Notre Dame), inspirational (Helen Keller), or angelic (Forrest Gump). She longed for stories that reflected her experiences--stories that allowed disability to be complex and ordinary, uncomfortable and fine, painful and fulfilling. Sitting Pretty offers an honest look at disability and its effects on identity, love, money, and self-worth. 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 the false idea of "ableism." Disability affects all of us, directly or indirectly, at one point or another. We all need more stories and more voices to understand the diversity of humanity. A timely reminder to look beyond ourselves and our singular experiences, 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.

Riley

And in case this isn’t clear, let me emphasize: more is at stake than hurt feelings, irritations, and misunderstandings. Stories written about marginalized people embed themselves in our culture and are used to justify our politics, to arrange our school systems, to determine a hospital's budget. They enter our private homes, follow us into libraries, classrooms, airports, restaurants, courthouses, swimming pools, doctors' offices, churches, bars—these skewed, melodramatic narratives shape our cities, our communities, our social interactions. They precede us, follow us, and are almost impossible to shake.

So where do we point our blame when our favorite villains, Overt Cruelty and Malicious Intent, are found to be missing in action? How do we begin to understand what happened?

I didn't use this word when talking with David. Later, I wondered why. It's efficient and holds so much. It's the perfect word to answer the question at hand. What's the hesitation? I suppose that I feel a bit of caution whenever using this word with anyone who isn't already intimately familiar with its texture. WVithout knowing what it feels like to live inside it the slippery surface, the sharp cuts and dull bruises it leavesableism" can feel like just another "ism" in a long list that people are already weary of tracking.

Emily O

Wonderful blend of memoir and statistics. Great to hear many of my experiences reflected in text

Cindy Lieberman

Essays and memoir written by an accomplished person, a Ph.D. and teacher, who is also female and in a wheelchair. Admittedly privileged (as she describes it: white, middle class, pretty, thin, born into a family with good health insurance), Rebekah nonetheless has faced her share of obstacles and discrimination, which she writes about clearly and in an entertaining way. My biggest take-away was the reminder that all of us face an uncertain future in which we might someday have trouble reading, hearing, walking up and down stairs, etc. so all of us at some point may be considered disabled as well as grateful for audiobooks, close-captioning, ramps, and the many other accessibility innovations brought about by differently abled people demanding change, the Americans for Disability Act, and creative inventors and their investors. Looking for ways to make life easier and more accessible for people with disabilities today can and will benefit more of us than we can imagine tomorrow.

Chelsea Breher

I picked this one up because I feel a disconnect with my degree as I haven't been using it (Sociology) so I'm making a conscious effort to read more diverse books written by diverse authors.

I am not a disabled individual nor I do not require mobility aides at this point in my life so I cannot relate to the author in these ways. However; I do benefit from learning about other peoples experiences in life and am grateful for the ability to read about other peoples experiences and view points. 

This book provided me with a glimpse into Rebekah Taussig's life and her experiences as an individual navigating life within a wheelchair. It was a great read, and I strongly recommend others give it a read.

Aimee Ardonne

Desire JoRay

Penelope

Natalia Machado

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.

Sitting Pretty The View from My Ordinary Resilient Disabled Body

Reviews

Highlights