Lupita Nyong'o has written a children's book to change the way kids see beauty
Lupita Nyong'o dropped a bombshell of the most wonderful kind on her Twitter and Instagram. She's written a children's book about a "dark skinned girl" who, after embarking on an adventure, "awakens with a reimagined sense of beauty."
The Academy Award-winning actor's debut novel will be released by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers in January 2019.
"I am pleased to reveal that I have written a children's book! It's called Sulwe!" wrote the Kenyan-Mexican actor on Instagram.
The word "sulwe" means "star" in Luo, Nyong'o's native language, according to a New York Times article announcing the book.
"She encounters lessons that we learn as children and spend our lives unlearning," writes Nyong’o. "This is a story for little ones, but no matter the age I hope it serves as an inspiration for everyone to walk with joy in their own skin."
Nyong'o has previously spoken about her relationship with her skin colour during childhood. In a 2014 speech, the actor said she felt "un-beautiful" growing up because every time she turned on the TV she "only saw pale skin."
"I got teased and taunted about my night-shaded skin and my one prayer to God, the miracle worker, was that I would wake up lighter skinned," said Nyong'o. "The morning would come and I would be so excited about seeing my new skin, that I would refuse to look down at myself until I was in front of a mirror because I wanted to see my fair face first."
She added that each morning she "experienced the same disappointment of being just as dark as [...] the day before."
Per a New York Times report, Nyong'o wants to appeal to children aged between 5 and 7 years; an age range in which "you learn all the things that you spend the rest of your life trying to unlearn." The report states that Nyong'o hopes her book will make all children rethink "what it means to be beautiful."
We can't wait to read Sulwe!
Rachel Thompson is the Features Editor at Mashable. Rachel's second non-fiction book The Love Fix: Reclaiming Intimacy in a Disconnected World is out now, published by Penguin Random House in Jan. 2025. The Love Fix explores why dating feels so hard right now, why we experience difficult emotions in the realm of love, and how we can change our dating culture for the better.
A leading sex and dating writer in the UK, Rachel has written for GQ, The Guardian, The Sunday Times Style, The Telegraph, Cosmopolitan, Glamour, Stylist, ELLE, The i Paper, Refinery29, and many more.
Rachel's first book Rough: How Violence Has Found Its Way Into the Bedroom And What We Can Do About It, a non-fiction investigation into sexual violence was published by Penguin Random House in 2021.
