Emily Rapp Black (born July 12, 1974) is an American memoir author. When she was six years old, she was chosen as the poster child for the non-profit organization March of Dimes, due to a congenital birth defect that resulted in the amputation of her left leg.[1] She has written two memoirs, one that presents her life as an amputee and the other that tells the story of the birth of her son Ronan Christopher Louis and his diagnosis of Tay–Sachs disease. She is a former Fulbright scholar and recipient of the James A. MichenerFellowship. She is a professor at the University of California, Riverside, School of Medicine.[2]
Personal background
Early life
Emily Susan Rapp was born on July 12, 1974, in Grand Island, Nebraska. Rapp was raised in Laramie, Wyoming; Kearney, Nebraska; and Denver, Colorado; by her father, a Lutheran pastor, and her mother, a school nurse. With her second husband, Rick Louis, she had a son, Ronan Christopher Louis, born on March 24, 2010, who died of Tay-Sachs disease on February 15, 2013.[3] She and her third husband, Kent Black, lived in Madrid, New Mexico,[4] before moving to Redlands, California, where they reside with their daughter, Charlotte (Charlie).[5]
In 2007, Rapp published her first memoir, Poster Child, with Bloomsbury, detailing her life as an amputee. She wrote, "[The] notion, that happiness and fulfillment hinge upon radical transformation, has followed me throughout my life. From an early age, I had fantasies of being 'healed' of my disability, a miracle I envisioned as rather more Disney than biblical."[8][9]
The Still Point of the Turning World
In 2013, her book The Still Point of the Turning World was published by Penguin Press. The book shares the author's life and experiences following her son Ronan Christopher Louis's diagnosis at nine months old with Tay–Sachs disease.[10] The book was widely and warmly reviewed, including in the Los Angeles Times, The Boston Globe, and The New York Times,[11][12] and was chosen by amazon.com as a Best Book of the Month for March 2013.[13] On March 8, 2013, Rapp appeared on The Today Show to speak about her book, along with her many other public appearances, including a return to Fresh Air with Terry Gross on NPR.[14][15]
Short stories, poems, and essays
Rapp's short stories, poems, or essays have appeared in The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, Salon.com, The Sun, The Texas Observer, The Rumpus, and Body & Soul, among other publications. She has kept her own blog, Little Seal, and she has been a regular columnist for the blog Role/Reboot.[16][17][18][19]
From 1989 to 2003 she served on various boards and committees of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, including the Committee on the Status of Women and the Global Mission Board of Directors.[24][25]
2012: Rapp's essay, "Transformation and Transcendence: The Power of Female Friendship", was named "one of 25 pieces that should be required reading for women" by The Huffington Post.[29]
2012: Rapp's blog, Little Seal, was named by Time magazine as one of the 25 best blogs in 2012.[30]
2013: Named by the Los Angeles Times as one of the "Faces to Watch"[31]
2013: Rapp's second memoir, The Still Point in the Turning World, was chosen as a Best Book of the Month in March by Amazon.[13]
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