Oh Lupita Nyong’o. we just love you. Not only are you phenomenally talented, eloquent, supportive of women (did you see her Wonder Woman Twitter tribute?) and well spoken, you are now giving the world another beautiful gift. The New York Times reports that the Oscar winner will be writing a children’s book, due to hit shelves in 2019. It is published by Simon & Schuster.
The book is called Sulwe ( which translates to “star” in luo) and Nyong’o describes it on Instagram as the story of Sulwe, a “dark skinned girl who goes on a starry-eyed adventure, and awakens with a reimagined sense of beauty. She encounters lessons that we learn as children and spend our lives unlearning. 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. Coming January 2019!!”
Nyong’o has been very honest about her struggles with beauty stemming from childhood when she equated more beautiful with lighter skin. In an interview with Glamour a few years ago she said, “European standards of beauty are something that plague the entire world. The idea that darker skin is not beautiful, that light skin is the key to success and love. Africa is no exception. When I was in the second grade, one of my teachers said, ‘Where are you going to find a husband? How are you going to find someone darker than you?’ I was mortified.” She continued, “My mother taught me that there are more valuable ways to achieve beauty than just through your external features. She was focused on compassion and respect, and those are the things that ended up translating to me as beauty. Beautiful people have many advantages, but so do friendly people…. I think beauty is an expression of love.”
It may be a children’s book but clearly this book will be appreciated by everyone.
