Golden Boy By Myra Sullivan

Everyone is different. While some are praised for it, others are mocked and ridiculed. An example of this can be found in the book “Golden Boy” by Tara Sullivan. The story follows young boy by the name Habo who was born different from others. Instead of having dark brown features like most of the citizens of Tanzania, he was born with light eyes, yellow hair, and even white skin; which surprisingly makes him even stand out among the white tourists that frequently visit the country. At the very start of the story the author introduces us to his family’s small farm in the countryside, it is then we are introduced to his family, immediately the reader will notice to absence of the father which they will come to find out later in the book that
Habo is immediately weary of this man and later finds out that he is a poacher that participates in elephant ivory killings. While on their way to Mwanza, Alasiri meets with an “mganga” (witch doctor) who watches Habo with predatory eyes during his deal with Alasiri. When they finally reach Mwanza the family bids farewell the Alasiri and reach the aunt’s home. It is there that Habo finds out that there are others like him and that there is a word used to describe them other than the insult “zeruzeru” (zero-zero). He also learns of the many albino killings that there have been in Mwanza due to the assumed value of his body parts and the huge amount of danger he is in there, but due to the family’s lack of funds they are forced to stay there until they can come up with enough money to make their way to Dar es Salaam, a big city that has had no albino killings and even have elected albino politicians. After a short time of staying in Mwanza and hiding under cornsacks, Habo is hunted by Alasiri and is forced to leave his family behind a flee to Dar es Salaam alone. While in Dar es Salaam, Habo befriends an old, sturdy, blind man named Kweli. Habo then proceeds to work and study under him in the practice of wood sculpting. While Habo spends his time with Kweli he learns to accept himself little by little, but