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SHSU Common Reader 2022: Sitting Pretty

Resource Guide for the 2022-23 SHSU Campus Common Reader: Sitting Pretty by Rebekah Taussig

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About The Book

About the Common Reader Program

The SHSU Common Reader program provides all interested SHSU students with the annually selected book. First-year students receive their copy as a summer reading assignment during orientation sessions. Faculty and staff develop and present scholarly dialogues about complex subjects through coursework and events, including the annual Essay Contest. 

The mission of the SHSU Common Reading Program is to create a shared academic/intellectual experience, facilitate a campus-wide cross-disciplinary conversation, and enhance the community with students, faculty, and staff.

Reviews

Kirkus Reviews (Starred Review)
"A fierce and fabulous revision to entrenched ableist scripts." 

"Introducing many key themes of disability studies throughout the narrative, the author pushes for nuanced awareness and understanding of fluid rather than fixed needs, essential for a more effective intersectional approach to social solutions. Taussig goes beyond empty inspirational jargon, forcing readers to consider the value of the real-world improvements that can emerge from centering underrepresented voices. An engaging, up-close view of the need for structural change regarding disabilities in this country, the text is a solid combination of theory and personal experience." 


Publishers Weekly
Book Review

"Taussig debuts with a pull-no-punches memoir about life in a wheelchair. She insists up front that she doesn't speak for everyone with a disability . . . and provides a frank look into her life with "a body that doesn't work," one that she's lived in since surviving an aggressive cancer as a 14-month-old. Taussig's refreshing, matter-of-fact tone makes it clear that she's not asking anyone to feel sorry for her; rather, she's asking for just the opposite—to not be defined by her wheelchair. Her smart and witty observations about living with disabilities will be enlightening and eye-opening for readers."


Booklist 
Book Review

"Treatment for childhood cancer led to paralysis at age three, but that didn’t stop Taussig. She adapted. Nonetheless, she grew up in a world that didn’t see her or welcome her or represent her. It was and is a struggle. She describes how a disabled person navigates things nondisabled people take in stride: dating, marriage, the workplace. The epilogue’s annotated list of resources includes “very cool people” who also happen to be disabled, books, television shows, and Instagram hashtags. An invaluable, eye opening look at disability from a firsthand perspective."


Library Journal (Starred Review)
Book Review

"Taussig's narrative style is highly conversational, making it feel loke one is chatting with a lifelong friend. Her ability to bring levity to a topic some may find taboo is certain to help spread her message of acceptance and love."

 

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