Reviews
Rucker's established penchant for jaded humor, along with his willingness to indulge the reader's curiosity, makes The Best Seat in the House...one of the most engaging disability memoirs to date....should be required reading for the disabled and able-bodied alike., Both funny and moving...an unpretentious an unapologetic account of learning to live with paralysis., "hardly sentimental...[a] savvy contribution...ahead of the curve." -- New York Times "... [Rucker] examines his situation with humor and honesty." -- PN: Paraplegia News "Much funnier and more uplifting than it might initially seem." -- Defamer.com "Both funny and moving...an unpretentious an unapologetic account of learning to live with paralysis." -- Welland Tribune (Ontario) "Allen Rucker describes his new life with honesty, accessibility, and impudence...very funny." -- National Public Radio "This valuable book is full of surprises....Frankly written, the human struggle is most touching." -- Sante Fe New Mexican "Very moving, not scary. [Rucker] is a talented man." -- David Chase, writer of "The Sopranos" "Rucker's established penchant for jaded humor, along with his willingness to indulge the reader's curiosity, makes The Best Seat in the House...one of the most engaging disability memoirs to date....should be required reading for the disabled and able-bodied alike." -- New Mobility
Synopsis
Rucker--baby boomer, husband, father of two, self-described "aging hack"--had a life that was certainly good enough. Then, at the age of 50 he was struck out of nowhere by a rare condition called transverse myelitis, leaving him paralyzed from the waist down. This remarkable book speaks to the fragility of life and resilience of an ordinary human being., Like the day Elvis died or O.J. was acquitted, the Tuesday you wake up paralyzed is not a day you soon forget. For writer Allen Rucker--baby boomer, husband, father of two, aging Hollywood also-ran--life started over that Tuesday when, at the age of fifty-one, he was struck by a rare disorder--transverse myelitis--that left him paralyzed from the waist down. Why him? Was he being punished? Was it his stressful life? His frustrating career? Telling too many Christopher Reeve jokes? Dazed and paralyzed, he was forced to reevaluate everything, from the simplest bodily functions to the mysteries of the universe. In a style that is at once funny and moving, The Best Seat in the House offers an unpretentious and unapologetic account of learning to live with paralysis. Without trivializing his situation, and without sermons or clichés, Rucker invites all readers, whether disabled or not, to identify with him for better or for worse. This remarkably comic and heartfelt book speaks to the fragility of life and to the resilience and adaptability of a single, ordinary human being. Lucky for us, this human being has a sense of humor. At first, it may not look like the best seat in the house, but read on. You might be surprised., Like the day Elvis died or O.J. was acquitted, the Tuesday you wake up paralyzed is not a day you soon forget. For writer Allen Rucker--baby boomer, husband, father of two, aging Hollywood also-ran--life started over that Tuesday when, at the age of fifty-one, he was struck by a rare disorder--transverse myelitis--that left him paralyzed from the waist down. Why him? Was he being punished? Was it his stressful life? His frustrating career? Telling too many Christopher Reeve jokes? Dazed and paralyzed, he was forced to reevaluate everything, from the simplest bodily functions to the mysteries of the universe. In a style that is at once funny and moving, The Best Seat in the House offers an unpretentious and unapologetic account of learning to live with paralysis. Without trivializing his situation, and without sermons or cliches, Rucker invites all readers, whether disabled or not, to identify with him for better or for worse. This remarkably comic and heartfelt book speaks to the fragility of life and to the resilience and adaptability of a single, ordinary human being. Lucky for us, this human being has a sense of humor. At first, it may not look like the best seat in the house, but read on. You might be surprised., Like the day Elvis died or O.J. was acquitted, the Tuesday you wake up paralyzed is not a day you soon forget. For writer Allen Rucker--baby boomer, husband, father of two, aging Hollywood also-ran--life started over that Tuesday when, at the age of fifty-one, he was struck by a rare disorder--transverse myelitis--that left him paralyzed from the waist down. Why him? Was he being punished? Was it his stressful life? His frustrating career? Telling too many Christopher Reeve jokes? Dazed and paralyzed, he was forced to reevaluate everything, from the simplest bodily functions to the mysteries of the universe. In a style that is at once funny and moving, "The Best Seat in the House" offers an unpretentious and unapologetic account of learning to live with paralysis. Without trivializing his situation, and without sermons or cliches, Rucker invites all readers, whether disabled or not, to identify with him for better or for worse. This remarkably comic and heartfelt book speaks to the fragility of life and to the resilience and adaptability of a single, ordinary human being. Lucky for us, this human being has a sense of humor. At first, it may not look like the best seat in the house, but read on. You might be surprised.
