Cori’s Pick: Sitting Pretty by Rebekah Taussig

Perception is an interesting thing.  A coworker once told me, ‘…their perception is their reality.’  It’s amazing how long this simple insight has stuck with me.  Although we are all here on Earth living our lives together, we simultaneously live in our own realities, which differ greatly; and for that I am thankful!  Because that’s what makes us human, right? 

In this candid memoir, Rebekah Taussig shines a bright light on her life and identity as a disabled woman and reminds us all, “When someone’s difference scares you, that’s the precise moment to lean in, shut up, and listen.”  WOW.  If that’s not relevant for our current times, I don’t know what is.

Taussig illustrates that while disability is just another way for a mind and/or body to be, ableism does not allow those differences to be accepted and okay, instead it punishes for them.  This is an insightful, funny, and very real look at how perceptions, preconceived notions, and straight up lack of accessibility affect our lives, and especially those of our disabled friends. This book forced me to take another look at how I view myself and others. It’s an eye-opening and surprisingly relatable read that I didn’t know I needed until I read it.