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

Written by:
Rebekah Taussig
Narrated by:
Rebekah Taussig

Unabridged Audiobook

Ratings
Book
7
Narrator
5
Release Date
August 2020
Duration
7 hours 33 minutes
Summary
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.
Reviews
Profile Avatar
Casey G.

As someone with a disability, I didn’t know just how much I needed this book. Rebekah’s words are honest, funny, thought-provoking, raw, and feel as though they are all words that I’ve also thought my entire life. Sitting Pretty touches on every aspect of what it is like to navigate an ableist world in a disabled body, from entering buildings through back door ramps next to the dumpster to the consequences of disabled people never being represented in media as anything other than helpless or inspiring. Rebekah reads this audiobook with such personality and humor, which elevated the experience of enjoying this collection of essays even more. An important read for any able-bodied person looking to learn about a life experience different from their own. A life-affirming read for anyone with a disability.

Profile Avatar
Kate W.

This book flowed so effortlessly. I found I couldn't stop listening and was genuinely sad when she announced the word Epilogue, knowing that our journey together was about to come to an end. I felt like Rebekah had become a friend, and I had been totally won over by her wit, charm and intelligent insights. I am embarrassed to say that I knew very little about the idea of ableism and yet it makes such glaring sense now that she has shared with me what it means to live as a disabled person in this ableist world. A must read for everyone really, if we are to reach a better, more inclusive and imaginative world for us all.

Profile Avatar
Anonymous

Great book just super robotic.

1 book added to cart
Subtotal
$24.99
View Cart