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

Written by Rebekah Taussig

Narrated by 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.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperAudio
• Release date: Aug 25, 2020
• ISBN: 9780063014497

Rebekah Taussig

REBEKAH TAUSSIG, PH.D. is a Kansas City writer and teacher with her doctorate in Creative Nonfiction and Disability Studies. She has led workshops and presentations at the University of Michigan, University of Kansas, and Davidson College on disability representation, identity, and community. She also runs the Instagram platform @sitting_pretty where she crafts “mini-memoirs” to contribute nuance to the collective narratives being told about disability in our culture. She lives with two cranky orange cats and one angsty-tender human.

Reviews for Sitting Pretty

[Aine Kelly-Costello · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Super articulate and poignant, great at linking every day life, communities and socially constructed systems and beliefs. One of my favourite autobiographies.

[Martha Gathercole · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is one of the most incredible memoirs I have ever had the pleasure to read. I loved every moment of it and have learned so much. The audiobook was wonderfully done - so engaging, entertaining, honest and moving.

[Shealea · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A must-read for everyone - particularly those who wish to learn more about dismantling ableism and becoming an advocate for disability. This is a nuanced, beautifully written memoir that challenges our ideas, perceptions, and assumptions about inclusivity and how we ought to build a more inclusive world to live in.

[Laurie Edb · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Excellent audio read. A much enjoyed book, I look forward to the next book.

[Siphiwo Hlengwa · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

It's the honesty and clarity for me. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

[Thea Kavanaugh · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Powerful voice and shared messages throughout the book. I typically only read fiction stories while all others lose my attention but this one was different. Rebekah’s lived experiences along with her sense of humor and advanced knowledge of disability history and culture made this book a memorable one. I already recommended it to 4 different friends.

[Nikki · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A memoir that describes why inclusion is so important - in design and architecture, housing, business, and thought. Her chapter on kindness was particularly disruptive and really made me think about how I’m showing up to support diverse peoples. A great story that was equal parts moving, thought-provoking, and educational.

[Adiba H · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Sitting Pretty - partly memoir and partly activism. As an able-bodied individual I found the authors gentle but firm explanations and examples of the entrenched prejudice and discrimination against disabled people disturbing, but I was not really shocked. How could I be shocked when I've grown up in an ableist society which is built to accommodate my body, and when ( I realised while listening to this book) hold so many generic negative presumptions about disabled people. I think this is an excellent audiobook to listen to as an introduction to the social model of disability. It's also a great own voices audiobook.

[needmoreshelves · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was an excellent read, both in content and execution. Taussig is a fantastic writer - reading her words was a pleasure, and I felt all the emotions with her as I journeyed through the book. As most really good nonfiction does, her work educated me and made me uncomfortable as she challenged me to think more deeply about the privilege I enjoy as a able bodied person. The chapter on kindness especially made me think and think again about my assumptions and biases, and will immediately change my actions in the future.Really wonderful work - highly recommended!

[bookedinsideout · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

“The goal is not to avoid falling or needing help. The goal is to be seen, asked, heard, believed, valued as we are, allowed to exist in these exact bodies, invited to the party, and encouraged to dance however we want to.”

Having been in several disability studies classes before, it was interesting to read a book from someone who is coming from that academic standpoint while also sharing their lived experience. The writing was very accessible and entertaining, showing how deeply entrenched ableism is (that chapter where she teaches an intro to DS class in a high school felt a little soul-crushing), but also helping me to understand more about my internalized ableism and pointing out the things I was still ignorant about.

I think every chapter was my favourite chapter, but I really liked “The Complications of Kindness” in particular, about how “being kind” can encourage erasure or ignorance of boundaries instead of respect. It’s a book that gave me a lot to think about, covering intersectional feminism, the way disability is seen in the media, and how all of us need accommodations and help sometimes but that doesn’t negate the ways we are independent and autonomous. Everyone should read this book.

[jessethek-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Illuminates how growing up with visible impairment in an inaccessible society impacts self-image. Nice writing. Good starter book for new wheelchair users.