Sipping Dom Perignon Through A Straw

Eddie Ndopu was born with spinal muscular atrophy and was told he wouldn't live beyond age five. He grew up loving pop music and haute couture, and was the only wheelchair user at his school. He became a sought-after speaker and was accepted on a full scholarship into Oxford University, but faced exclusion, discrimination, and neglect. Sipping Dom Pérignon Through a Straw is his remarkable journey to reach beyond ableism and challenge bias at the highest echelons of power and prestige.

Format: Hardback
Length: 240 pages
Publication date: 03 August 2023
Publisher: John Murray Press

Eddie Ndopu was born with spinal muscular atrophy, a rare degenerative motor neuron disease that affects his mobility. He was told he wouldn't live past age five, but he thrived. He grew up loving pop music and haute couture, lip-syncing to the latest hits, and was the only wheelchair user at his school, where he excelled academically. By his late teens, he had become a sought-after speaker, traveling the world to give talks on disability justice. When he was later accepted on a full scholarship to Oxford University, he soon learned that he wasn't just challenging the medical community; he was also challenging the educational one.

In "Sipping Dom Pérignon Through a Straw," we follow Ndopu, sporting his oversized, bejewelled sunglasses, as he climbs the mountain of success, only to find exclusion, discrimination, and neglect waiting for him on the other side. 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.

Searing, vulnerable, and inspiring, Ndopu's remarkable journey to reach beyond ableism reminds us never to let anyone else define our limits.

Unflinching honesty and vulnerability... Prepare to be moved, enlightened, and profoundly touched.

Sabrina Dhowre Elba, actress, model, and UN Goodwill Ambassador

Weight: 454g
Dimension: 240 x 160 x 23 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781399803786