In 1998, author Sharon G Flake wrote the novel The Skin I’m In. Aimed at young adults, it told the story of 13 year-old Maleeka Madison: tall, skinny, and dark-skinned--she struggles against the burden of low self-esteem that many black girls face when they're darker skinned. To make her life easier, Maleeka befriends the toughest girl in school, Charlese Jones, who only makes life harder for Maleeka until she finally learns to stand up for herself and love the skin she’s in.