Lawyer, author and activist, Raj Kaur Khaira has announced Penguin Random House have acquired the publishing rights to her book, Stories for South Asian Super Girls.
The book which was originally published by Kashi House in 2019, has been sold to Penguin Random House in a multi-book deal at auction. Stories for South Asian Super Girls will form part of Penguin’s children’s book list, Puffin.
Ms Khaira’s stories essay 50 famous and under-celebrated women from Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka. The book is edifying and inspiring in equal measure — instilling concrete hope for South Asian girls to aspire to a life that differs from the limited narratives and stereotypes written for them by their culture, wider society and the mainstream media.
In assembling historic figures (British Muslim spy, Noor Inayat Khan and fearless activist, Jayaben Desai), contemporary entertainers (Meera Syal, Jameela Jamil and Mindy Kaling) and pioneering business leaders (Indra Nooyi, Anjali Sud and Ruchi Sanghvi), Stories for South Asian Super Girls seeks to redress the imbalance for young girls of colour, by empowering them to break new ground for themselves and inspire others in the process.
Illustrated with striking portraits by ten international South Asian female artists, Stories for South Asian Super Girls is a book for all ages.
Ms Khaira has also featured on BBC Breakfast to discuss her book, and is the founder of Pink Ladoo – an organisation that celebrates female births, with the aim to create a dialogue about about women’s rights in South Asian homes across the world.
