The Best Seat in the House: How I Woke Up One Tuesday and Was Paralyzed for Life

The Best Seat in the House: How I Woke Up One Tuesday and Was Paralyzed for Life

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. TV writer Rucker likes to think he's on the cutting edge of what lies in the future for all of us. Truth be told, he is. In our hearts, we all know we will one day lose our independence to the ravages of old age and/or illness. Rucker doesn't make it seem as bad, however, as many anticipate. The limiting problem for him is transverse myelitis, which struck him from out of the blue when he was a mere 51 years old and in excellent health. In an hour and a half on a Tuesday afternoon, the able-bodied runner was thrown back to some of the physical helplessness of infancy by paralysis from the waist down. Ten years later, and with self-deprecating humor, he is able to walk--er, roll-- through the ups and downs of being wheelchair bound. He has two rules: never whine, and never ask "Why me?" since that leads only to whining. He does lament the lack of positive wheelchair role models in the movies. Meanwhile, he's a good literary role model. Donna Chavez Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved “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 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. An award-winning writer for television, author of nine books of nonfiction and humor, and columnist for Ability Magazine , Allen Rucker has written three books on the HBO series The Sopranos , including the #1 New York Times bestseller, The Sopranos Family Cookbook . He lives in Los Angeles.