Please join us for the DCC’s Virtual Book Club , co-sponsored by the Office of Diversity and Inclusion.
We’ll be reading Eddie Ndopu’s “Sipping Dom Perignon Through a Straw: Reimagining Success as a Disabled Achiever”.
In Sipping Dom Pérignon Through a Straw, we follow Ndopu, sporting his oversized, bejewelled sunglasses, as he scales the mountain of success, only to find exclusion, discrimination, and neglect waiting for him on the other side. Like every other student, Ndopu tries to keep up appearances—dashing to and from his public policy lectures before meeting for cocktails with his squad, all while campaigning to become student body president. Privately, however, Ndopu faces obstacles that are all too familiar to people with disabilities, yet remain unnoticed by most people. With the revolving door of care aides, hefty bills, and a lack of support from the university, Ndopu feels alienated by his environment. As he soars professionally, sipping champagne with world leaders, he continues to feel the loneliness and pressure of being the only one in the room. Determined to carve out his place in the world, he must challenge bias at the highest echelons of power and prestige. But as the pressure mounts, Ndopu must find his stride or collapse under the crushing weight of ableism.
Written with his one good finger, this evocative, searing, and vulnerable prose will leave you spellbound by Ndopu’s remarkable journey to reach beyond ableism, reminding us of our own capacity for resilience.
Virtual Book Club meetings will be held via Zoom, and meet on the following dates:
- Friday, Jan. 26 – 1-2pm
- Friday, Feb. 23 – 1-2pm
- Friday, Mar. 22 – 1-2pm
- Friday, Apr. 19 – 1-2pm
Interested in joining? Register here
