{"id":24970,"date":"2024-05-05T22:27:40","date_gmt":"2024-05-05T16:42:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/?p=24970"},"modified":"2024-05-05T22:27:53","modified_gmt":"2024-05-05T16:42:53","slug":"sitting-pretty-the-view-from-my-ordinary-resilient-disabled-body-chosen-as-2024-25-go-big-read-book","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/sitting-pretty-the-view-from-my-ordinary-resilient-disabled-body-chosen-as-2024-25-go-big-read-book\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Sitting Pretty: The View from My Ordinary Resilient Disabled Body\u2019 chosen as 2024-25 Go Big Read book\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"
Rebekah Taussig<\/sup><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n

By K\u00e4ri Knutson<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n

Rebekah Taussig wasn\u2019t alone, but she sure felt like it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Paralyzed since the age of 3, Taussig couldn\u2019t help noticing that depictions of disability were limited to the monstrous Hunchback of Notre Dame, inspirational Helen Keller or angelic Forrest Gump.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

None came close to capturing her experience, nor did she expect them to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019d never considered disability an identity worth understanding, let alone worth celebrating, and I was pretty sure I was the only one who experienced this world from this seat on the margins,\u201d she recalls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After a roommate\u2019s suggestion, the Instagram account @sitting_pretty was born, giving Taussig a place to share what life was like for her \u2014 traveling, marriage, motherhood, work, going to the grocery store. It has grown to more than 63,000 followers, including actress Selma Blair, who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2018.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The response helped lead to \u201cSitting Pretty: The View from My Ordinary Resilient Disabled Body,\u201d the 2024-25 Go Big Read book, for UW\u2013Madison’s community reading program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A combination memoir, essay collection and call to action, Taussig’s book invites readers to consider disability from a different perspective.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cInstead of disability as the limitation, what if a lack of imagination was the actual barrier?\u201d she asks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cInclusion isn\u2019t better just because it\u2019s kinder,\u201d Taussig writes. \u201cWe 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.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Taussig is a Kansas City writer and teacher with her doctorate in Creative Nonfiction and Disability Studies. She has led workshops and presentations at the University of Michigan, University of Kansas, and Davidson College on disability representation, identity, and community. Go Big Read events connected to the book are expected to include a visit from the author.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis book is a wonderful opportunity for our community to engage in critical and timely dialogue around disability and accessibility,\u201d says Chancellor Jennifer L. Mnookin. \u201cRebekah Taussig\u2019s memoir in essays is a thoughtful and nuanced exploration, grounded in her own life experiences and raising important questions about disability, ableism and the narrative of \u2018normal.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRebekah writes in a way that is somehow both world-shakingly profound and beautifully intimate. Her voice is unforgettable in its power to make you feel, question, learn, and grow,\u201d says \u201cBody Positive Power\u201d bestselling author Megan Jayne Crabbe. \u201cThere aren’t words for how much the world needs this book.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Publishers Weekly describes it as \u201ca pull-no-punches memoir about life in a wheelchair.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTaussig\u2019s refreshing, matter-of-fact tone makes it clear that she\u2019s not asking anyone to feel sorry for her; rather, she\u2019s asking for just the opposite\u2014to not be defined by her wheelchair,\u201d it says. \u201cHer smart and witty observations about living with disabilities will be enlightening and eye-opening for readers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kirkus Reviews calls it \u201ca fierce and fabulous revision to entrenched ableist scripts.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTaussig goes beyond empty inspirational jargon, forcing readers to consider the value of the real-world improvements that can emerge from centering underrepresented voices,\u201d it says. \u201cAn 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.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Go Big Read events connected to the book are expected to include a visit from the author. Planning is underway for how students, faculty and staff will use the book in classrooms and for special events. Copies of the book will be given to first-year students at the Chancellor\u2019s Convocation for New Students and to students using the book in their classes. UW\u2013Madison instructors or event planners interested in using the book can request a print or e-review copy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Go Big Read program is an initiative of the Office of the Chancellor. It engages members of the campus community and beyond in a shared, academically focused reading experience.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Rebekah Taussig wasn\u2019t alone, but she sure felt like it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":24971,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-24970","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health","category-news"],"featured_image_urls":{"full":["https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Rebekah-Taussig-Author.jpg",775,587,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Rebekah-Taussig-Author-200x200.jpg",200,200,true],"medium":["https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Rebekah-Taussig-Author-528x400.jpg",528,400,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Rebekah-Taussig-Author-768x582.jpg",750,568,true],"large":["https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Rebekah-Taussig-Author-675x511.jpg",675,511,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Rebekah-Taussig-Author.jpg",775,587,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Rebekah-Taussig-Author.jpg",775,587,false],"ultp_layout_landscape_large":["https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Rebekah-Taussig-Author.jpg",775,587,false],"ultp_layout_landscape":["https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Rebekah-Taussig-Author-775x570.jpg",775,570,true],"ultp_layout_portrait":["https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Rebekah-Taussig-Author-600x587.jpg",600,587,true],"ultp_layout_square":["https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Rebekah-Taussig-Author-600x587.jpg",600,587,true],"newspaper-x-single-post":["https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Rebekah-Taussig-Author-760x490.jpg",760,490,true],"newspaper-x-recent-post-big":["https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Rebekah-Taussig-Author-550x360.jpg",550,360,true],"newspaper-x-recent-post-list-image":["https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Rebekah-Taussig-Author-95x65.jpg",95,65,true],"web-stories-poster-portrait":["https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Rebekah-Taussig-Author.jpg",640,485,false],"web-stories-publisher-logo":["https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Rebekah-Taussig-Author.jpg",96,73,false],"web-stories-thumbnail":["https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Rebekah-Taussig-Author.jpg",150,114,false]},"author_info":{"info":["By K\u00e4ri Knutson"]},"category_info":"Health<\/a> News<\/a>","tag_info":"News","comment_count":"0","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24970","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24970"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24970\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24972,"href":"https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24970\/revisions\/24972"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/24971"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24970"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24970"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24970"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}