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Key Points

Dua Lipa's love for reading began in her childhood at a bookshop on London's Finchley Road. Her mother would spend weekends there reading with her, instilling a deep appreciation for literature. This passion led her to start the Service95 Book Club and visit a women's prison book club program. The experience moved her deeply, especially hearing how books transformed one inmate's understanding of human emotions.

Key Points: Dua Lipa Credits Childhood Bookshop for Her Lifelong Reading Passion

  • Dua Lipa's mother spent weekends reading with her in a London bookshop
  • Her grandfather was a renowned historian in Kosovo
  • She founded the Service95 Book Club to encourage more people to read
  • A prison book club visit profoundly impacted her worldview on literature
2 min read

Dua Lipa traces the roots of her love for reading books

Grammy winner Dua Lipa reveals how her mother and a London bookshop shaped her early love for reading, plus her impactful prison book club work.

"Had I maybe read books sooner in my life, maybe I wouldn't be here - Prison Book Club Participant"

Los Angeles, Aug 20

Singer-songwriter Dua Lipa, who is known for hits like ‘Dance the Night Away’ and ‘Levitating’, but when her childhood was all about books.

The 29-year-old musician opened up about how her love of reading started at an early age, reports ‘People’ magazine.

She told ‘Harper’s Bazaar’ magazine, “It was such a big part of my childhood. There was a big bookshop. It was at the O2 Centre on Finchley Road in London, and there was a kids’ section”.

As per ‘People’, Dua Lipa said her mother, Anesa, would spend her weekends sitting in the children’s section, “reading her books, and I would just spend all day in there reading my books. I think books allow us to slow down a little bit”.

Her paternal grandfather was a well-known historian in Kosovo and her parents also instilled a love of reading in the singer from an early age.

The Grammy winner visited a book club in a women’s prison in the U.K. as a part of the Booker Prize Foundation’s Books Unlocked program and shared that the experience had a profound impact on her.

“There was also one lady in there that I think about often, and she was about 52 years old or something, and she said, ‘Oh, had I maybe read books sooner in my life, maybe I wouldn’t be here, because reading books has really made me understand people and humans and emotions’. Reading opens you up to the world. And it makes the world so much smaller”, Dua Lipa explained.

The prison book club happened to be reading Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart, the same book that was the first selection for Lipa’s Service95 Book Club.

Back in 2023, she shared in a YouTube video about her prison visit, “I started a book club with Service95 just to get more people reading”.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

R
Rohit P
Respect for Dua Lipa! While many celebrities just focus on glamour, she's using her platform for something meaningful. The prison book club initiative is particularly inspiring.
A
Ananya R
This reminds me of how my parents used to take me to British Council library in Delhi every weekend. Reading habits really shape your perspective. Good on her for keeping it real!
V
Vikram M
While I appreciate her efforts, I wish Indian celebrities would also take up such literacy initiatives. We have so many regional languages and rich literature that needs promotion.
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Kavya N
The part about the prisoner saying books could have changed her life really hit home. In our education system, we focus so much on academics that we forget reading for pleasure. Need to change this mindset!
S
Siddharth J
Great to see someone with Albanian-Kosovo roots valuing education and reading. Immigrant families often emphasize education, and it's beautiful to see that reflected here. Her grandfather being a historian explains a lot!

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