Brooke Shields Announces New Book About the Empowerment of Middle Age (Exclusive)

The forthcoming book from the actress and entrepreneur will “candidly explore both the humility and power of aging,” according to its publisher

Brooke Shields is getting honest about middle age.

The actress, podcast host and entrepreneur, 58, announced a new book exclusively with PEOPLE. The project, currently untitled, is a nonfiction book that will “candidly explore both the humility and power of aging,” according to its publisher, Flatiron Books.

“Brooke Shields has been a leader, an advocate, and a role model for generations of women,” editor Julie Will says in a statement. “Now, as those of us who grew up with her navigate the uncertainties—and opportunities—of midlife, we can look forward to her relatable perspective once more.”

Co-written with author Rachel Bertsche, the book explores mid-life and all that it has to offer, specifically for women. Blending personal narrative and guidebook, its authors hope to flip our popular beliefs about aging by lifting the voices of experts and everyday women who find this era of life a period for self-discovery, energy and opportunity.

“What we know for sure about women and aging is that it’s not the put-her-out-to-pasture narrative our society would have us believe,” Shields tells PEOPLE exclusively. “I don’t need to hear any more about all the ways my body starts to sag when my ovaries stop working.”

The book will also take a look at the physical and emotional aspects of this chapter of life, something that Shields has had questions about herself. 

“I want to know why I suddenly feel this surge of power,” Shields continues. “Why am I finally emboldened to try new things? Why does our culture treat women ‘of a certain age’ like they’re past their prime, while so many other cultures revere their elders? How can we approach this time as the new beginning it really is, rather than the beginning of the end?”

Related: Brooke Shields Says New Documentary Is 'So Much Bigger' Than Her Experience with Sexual Assault

Shields has had many new beginnings of her own in recent years. At 57, she founded her company Beginning is Now, a global community of women “finding strength, wisdom, optimism, humor, and so much more,” per its website. Her iHeartPodcast, “Now What?”, explores what happens when people are met with the unexpected. She is also the subject of the 2023 documentary Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields now streaming on Hulu.

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Both authors hope the book will encourage women to enter this period of their lives “armed with knowledge, humor, and excitement.” It’s a journey that Shields knows well and has embraced herself.

“I’m content with myself, and proud of how far I’ve come,” she says in a statement. “...and still I realize there is so much more I want to do.”

The book is forthcoming from Flatiron Books.

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Read the original article on People.