About halfway throughnthe below 28-minute video interview with Thandie Newton, on The Ayo Show, uploaded to YouTube about a week ago, Newton is asked whether she'd like to be on the other side of the camera, as a director. 

And here's what she said in response:

"I'm writing now… I'm adapting a book that I love… set in Oakland and Brooklyn in the 1960s USA… so it's the Black Panthers, Civil Rights…"

Of course my antennae shut up… always looking for a scoop!

Unfortunately, she doesn't give anymore than that (I kept hoping she'd reveal the book title, but she doesn't); so, of course, I had to run through the library in my mind, trying to figure out what book this might be. And, well, the clues she's given are far too broad to come up with a short list – set in 1960s USA (Oakland & Brooklyn specifically), and centered around the Black Panthers and movement towards Civil Rights. 

How many books fit that description?

I suppose we could assume that she may be adapting the book for herself to star in, and if so, then we can further narrow down the list to books (fiction and non-fiction) set in that time period as the story's backdrop, with a black woman at the center of the narrative. Assuming of course…

Still… even though I certainly haven't read every book, I don't think I'm going out on a limb when I say that the list is long. 

I'll let you guys come up with your own guesses.

You can watch the full interview below; she talks about her background, acting, personal non-film related projects, and more. The part where the above quote was lifted starts around the 13-minute mark.