Lupita Nyong'o Has Written a Children's Book and We're So Here For It
'Sulwe' is the story of a young girl with dark skin who learns to "reimagine her sense of beauty."
What can't Lupita Nyong'o do?
Aside from all of her many other accomplishments, like starring in hit movie after hit movie and winning an Oscar after her first film, the Kenyan star has yet another to add to her list: children's book author.
Nyong'o took to Twitter earlier to announce that she has written her very first chidren's book, Sulwe, a story of self-acceptance, which borrows from the actor's own childhood experiences.The word "sulwe" means star in Nyong'o's mother tongue, Luo.
Here's a synopsis of the book via the New York Times:
In the book, Sulwe has the darkest skin color in her family, a fact that makes her uncomfortable and determined to find a way to lighten her skin. As the story unfolds Sulwe embarks on a whimsical adventure in the night sky that, coupled with advice from her mother, helps her see beauty differently.
Nyong'o decided to write the book after recalling the positive influence that reading stories with her mother had on her self-image growing up. The story touches on her own battles with skin complexion and self-acceptance, which she opened up about so eloquently in a 2014 Black Women In Hollywood speech.
The book is specifically written for children between the ages of 5 and 7, the age when "you learn all the things that you spend the rest of your life trying to unlearn," says Nyong'o.
Sulwe will arrive in January 2019.
