Research Guides: SHSU Common Reader 2022: Sitting Pretty: Homepage

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About The Book

Sitting Pretty: The View from my Ordinary Resilient Disabled Body by Rebekah Taussig
ISBN: 9780062936806
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.

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.

Common Reader Homepage
Fall 2022 Events

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."