In a delightful crossover between literature and television, Nnedi Okorafor’s acclaimed novel Akata Warrior makes a cameo in Netflix’s new teen drama Forever. In Episode 5, titled “Welcome to the Vineyard,” protagonist Keisha Clark, portrayed by Lovie Simone, is seen reading Akata Warrior during a quiet moment with her friend Chloe and Chloe’s aunt.EW.com+14Decider+14primetimer.com+14

Okorafor shared her excitement on Facebook, writing:

“What a sweet surreal surprise it was to see one of my novels in the new Netflix TV series FOREVER ! The two main characters are both athletes (track and field and basketball) . Sunny in AKATA WARRIOR (and the whole Nsibidi Scripts series) is a soccer player.”

Akata Warrior is the first in the Insibidi Script series and was published in 2011 by Vikings Children. It follows Sunny Nwazue, a twelve-year-old albino girl born in New York and living in Nigeria, who discovers a hidden magical world where her differences become her greatest strength as she joins a secret coven to track a powerful and dangerous criminal.

The inclusion of Akata Warrior in Forever presents the book as part of a Black girl intellectual canon. Those who have seen the show know that Keisha is top of her class academically, a start athlete, headed for Howard University, who loves literature and science, SIMS and Naruto. She is also fashionable and stunningly beautiful. By having her read Akata Warrior, the show places Okorafor’s novel in the company of texts that are formative for smart, ambitious, multidimensional Black girls.

Forever, created by Mara Brock Akil, is a loose adaptation of Judy Blume’s 1975 novel. It follow Black teenagers Keisha and Justin as they navigate love, sexual awakening, and personal ambition in Los Angeles. The series has been praised for its tender, heartfelt storytelling. 

This subtle nod to Akata Warrior is exciting for Okorafor’s fans and show sher work speaking to new generations of readers.