'Precious' star Sidibe's memoir to Vintage

Vintage is to publish the Oscar-nominated "Precious" star Gabourey Sidibe’s memoir, This Is Just My Face: Try Not to Stare.

The book, due to publish in the UK on 7th June 2018 as a paperback original, broaches topics including friendship, depression, celebrity, haters, fashion, race and weight, as the author shares her "one-of-a-kind" life story.

Sidibe rocketed to international fame in 2009 when she played the leading role in the film "Precious". In the book, she describes her Harlem family life with a polygamous father and a gifted mother who supports her two children by singing in the subway. She also tells the "inspiring" story of her first job as a phone sex "talker" and her unconventional rise to fame as a film star, alongside "a superstar cast of rich people who lived in mansions and had their own private islands and amazing careers while I lived in my mom’s apartment".

Vintage acquired UK and Commonwealth rights from Kate McLennan at Abner Stein on behalf of Chelsey Heller at Aevitas Creative Management. The book first published this year in the US with Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, attracting praise from Lena Dunham, Gloria Steinem and Roxanne Gay.

"All of us at Vintage have utterly fallen for Gabby," said Victoria Murray-Browne, senior editor at Vintage. "She has an extraordinary story of course but it’s her voice that really makes this book. Honest, irreverent, totally without self-pity, and genuinely hilarious even when writing about her toughest moments – it’s a pleasure spending even just a few pages in her company."

In 2010 Vintage published a film tie-in edition of "Precious" (originally published with the title Push) alongside the release of the film.