Sitting Pretty

 Sitting Pretty: The View From My Ordinary Resilient Disabled Body, by Rebekah Taussig

My younger child read this memoir and told me that I HAD to read it.  And I agree; it's a great book and I could hardly put it down.  Taussig's voice is just so fresh, wry, and candid.

Rebekah Taussig, youngest of six children and childhood cancer survivor, became paralyzed from the waist down at age 3, and for years didn't really notice that this rendered her different and pitiful in the eyes of most others.  But of course, the outside world's judgements eventually penetrated her happy childhood bubble, and she learned that according to those judgements, she would be relegated to the role of inspirational friend, never the heroine of the story who has a cool job, meets the guy, and lives happily ever after.   

And then, as an adult, she started to question the societal assumptions we have about disabilities.  She got a graduate degree, got a teaching position at a high school, and thought a lot about all these questions.  In this combination memoir and manifesto, she shows us her experiences and how they connect to the wider issues of disability, representation, universal access, and much more.  Taussig shows us exactly why we need to include disabled people in all areas of society -- because we are all one, really.   There's no real dividing line between the disabled and the abled; all of us will eventually experience various states of ability.  Well, she really puts it better than I do.  

So, yes, let's agree that disabled people are an essential, vibrant part of our world, and they deserve to be treated as such.  But if we stop the conversation here -- if we think this is all there is -- we haven't moved much further than the 'right' answer -- Diversity and inclusion are good!  Don't be mean to disabled people!  Inclusion isn't better just because it's kinder.  We should bring disabled perspectives to the center because these perspectives create a world that is more imaginative, more flexible, more sustainable, more dynamic and vibrant for everyone who lives in a body.

Disability can give us new stories for navigating an ever-changing world.  Stories like: Maybe hard work has its limit.  Maybe your efforts aren't the best barometer for predicting your successes.  Maybe the state of your body isn't actually the ticket to happiness.  Maybe when someone's difference scares you, that's the precise moment to lean in, shut up, and listen.  Maybe true love can be tender and caring and steady.  Maybe some **** just happens, and it's not for a greater good, but maybe you'll find a way to be okay anyway...

 I highly, highly recommend this book.  Taussig is just such a fun and open person, and she's a joy to read, plus there's lots to think about.   I'm very glad my kid made me read it.