Madison Reporter

Rebekah Taussig, a Kansas City writer and teacher with her doctorate in Creative Nonfiction and Disability Studies, has had her book "Sitting Pretty: The View from My Ordinary Resilient Disabled Body" selected as the 2024-25 Go Big Read book. Taussig, who has been paralyzed since the age of 3, felt a lack of representation of disability in mainstream media, leading her to create the Instagram account @sitting_pretty.

Reflecting on her journey, Taussig shares, “I’d 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.” Her Instagram account has garnered over 63,000 followers, including actress Selma Blair, who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2018.

Describing her book as a combination memoir, essay collection, and call to action, Taussig challenges readers to consider disability from a different perspective. She prompts, “Instead of disability as the limitation, what if a lack of imagination was the actual barrier?”

Chancellor Jennifer L. Mnookin commends Taussig's work, stating, “Rebekah Taussig’s 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 ‘normal.’” Similarly, bestselling author Megan Jayne Crabbe praises Taussig's writing, noting, “Rebekah 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.”

Critics have also lauded Taussig's book, with Publishers Weekly describing it as “a pull-no-punches memoir about life in a wheelchair” and Kirkus Reviews calling it “a fierce and fabulous revision to entrenched ableist scripts.” The book has been recognized for its engaging and up-close view of the need for structural change regarding disabilities in the country.

The Go Big Read events related to the book will involve a visit from the author and various activities for students, faculty, and staff. Copies of the book will be distributed to first-year students at the Chancellor’s Convocation for New Students and to students using the book in their classes. The Go Big Read program aims to engage the campus community and beyond in a shared, academically focused reading experience.