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sde 's review for:
Golden Boy
by Tara Sullivan
Fascinating fiction book - but based on real events - set in current day Tanzania. Habo is an albino boy of about 13. Because of his condition, he is not able to help the family with outside work, cannot read well (because of his eyes) and is considered bad luck to the family, so his father leaves and many other members shun him. Eventually the family must leave their village for a larger town where an aunt live. There Habo is hunted because body parts of albinos are used in traditional medicine - well, not really medicine, more like black magic. Because he is putting his family in danger once again, Habo escapes to Dar Es Salaam, where he hears albinos are not hunted. He befriends an elderly blind sculptor who makes a huge difference in his life.
This story was fast-paced enough to draw in YA readers. It also conveys a lot of information about a little known subject. I had no idea about the movement for albino rights in eastern Africa. I also had no idea about the problems they face. I thought that the number of albinos mentioned in the story seemed unrealistic, especially two albino MPs in Tanzania's Parliament. It wasn't until I reached the end of the book that I learned that the MPs are real people and that albinism is 5 times more prevalent in Sub-Saharan Africa than in Europe.
The author lists lots of links and information about organizations involved in the issue at the end of the book.
This story was fast-paced enough to draw in YA readers. It also conveys a lot of information about a little known subject. I had no idea about the movement for albino rights in eastern Africa. I also had no idea about the problems they face. I thought that the number of albinos mentioned in the story seemed unrealistic, especially two albino MPs in Tanzania's Parliament. It wasn't until I reached the end of the book that I learned that the MPs are real people and that albinism is 5 times more prevalent in Sub-Saharan Africa than in Europe.
The author lists lots of links and information about organizations involved in the issue at the end of the book.