A Book Review: Sitting Pretty: The View from My Ordinary Resilient Disabled Body Rebekah Taussig

I told the story in my previous post on Books by Disabled authors of my encounter with the book “Sitting Pretty”. I recently sat down to read it and I have a lot to say.

I must preface this for those who did not read my previous blog post, I have a physical disability. I use a wheelchair as a mobility device in my daily living and outings. So I have to admit I found myself rooting for this book. But just because I can relate to the character doesn't mean it's going to be great right?

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”Sitting Pretty” is a collection of essays on the real and raw moments of Rebekah Taussig's life. It is informative, succinct, and humorous. 

Rebekah Taussig does a great job of breaking down the meaning of ableism with a simplified definition.

Ableism: Defined by Taussig as “the process of favoring, fetishizing and building the world around a mostly imagined, idealized body while discriminating against those bodies perceived to move, see, hear, process, operate, look or need differently from that vision. Often, the greater the deviation, the greater the discrimination.”

Such a powerful meaning behind a simple word. She couldn't have worded it any better. 

Taussig also provides examples to help those who are disabled or “able-bodied”  understands how ableism is deeply embedded in our society. 

She opens her reader's eyes to the issues found in pop culture and the lack of representation or better yet the ill-mannered representation of disabilities. From the lack of disabled characters being cast to the idea that every disabled individual wishes to be able-bodied. Taussig digs deep into the damaging effects.

Taussig takes it a step further and recounts moments when she did not feel she connected with able-bodied women. This internalized ableism at times made her perceive herself as undesired. When she attended a cocktail party and the women spoke about being cat-called. They were disgusted and outraged by each other's stories. Taussing who had only been cat-called once in her life relished it because it made her feel desired.

Although, “Sitting Pretty” goes beyond these bigger topics. Taussig also speaks about the small details. The moments when strangers want to pray over her or feel the need to watch her get into her vehicle. When she couldn't participate in pool parties the way her other school friends did. Moments when trying to survive financially and have a disability become too difficult.

The first thing I did after finishing this book was hand it over to my able-bodied friend and said “You should read this”. This is a book that is easily digestible but also thought-provoking.

I gave Rebekah Taussig’s“Sitting Pretty: The View from My Ordinary Resilient Disabled Body” five stars on my good reads account.

Take a moment to understand the lives of a population that makes up 26 percent of adults in the United States. It's eye-opening. 

If you’re interested in more check out my previous blog post on Books by Disabled Authors.

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