Golden Boy

By: Tara Sullivan

Narrated by: Ron Butler

A shocking human-rights tragedy brought to light in a story of heartbreak and triumph.

Thirteen-year-old Habo has always been different - light eyes, yellow hair, and white skin. Not the good brown skin his family has and not the white skin of tourists. Habo is strange and alone. His father, unable to accept Habo, abandons the family; his mother can scarcely look at him. His brothers are cruel, and the other children never invite him to play. Only his sister, Asu, loves him well. But even Asu can't take the sting away when the family is forced from their small Tanzanian village, and Habo knows he is to blame.

Seeking refuge in Mwanza, Habo and his family journey across the Serengeti. His aunt is glad to open her home until she sees Habo for the first time, and then she is only afraid. Suddenly, Habo has a new word for himself: albino. But they hunt albinos in Mwanza because albino body parts are thought to bring good luck. And soon Habo is being hunted by a fearsome man with a machete.

To survive, Habo must not only run, but find a way to love and accept himself.

©2013 Tara Sullivan (P)2021 Tantor

Antoinette

Ron Butler really did justice to Golden Boy. I loved reading Tara Sullivan’s book when it came out years ago, but listening to it being read was, to me, a more powerful telling of the story of albinism through Habo’s eyes. Well done! I loved it!