DEI Undone: The Rise, Fall, and Rebirth of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

by Sabreena Ghaffar-Siddiqui, Ardavan Eizadirad

307 pages, Paperback

Published May 5, 2026

Reviews

[Stephanie]

Since I first heard about this book I was excited to read it. Written in three acts detailing the beginnings of DEI, how it became co-opted, and the path forward to meet the needs and address the harm it was originally intended to address. As a professional there is a huge discourse for DEIB and as this book points out, many people are not aware of its history.

There are many examples to point to where the cracks in our current iteration of DEI show, but this book shows the treatment of Palestine is the biggest litmus test of them all. I really appreciated the last act of the book where it discusses what could be a rebirth of DEI and integrating decolonization as a central point to the rebirth of DEI.

This book hit so many points I've been feeling over the years and made me feel hopeful rather than be in despair about how we move forward. As a self-published book, some might be annoyed by the formatting in certain sections but I loved that pictures and pieces of art were included in the book. I wish more books did this. The appendix was also incredible and the questions throughout the book I hope to use in conversations with my friends and colleagues. I plan on getting my own copy.