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Pigment #1
Pigment: The Limbs of the Mukuyu Tree
Young American Aliya Scott travels to Tanzania to help children with her condition. There, people without pigment in their skin are called “zeru-zeru,” it means “ghost,” and they are believed to possess magical powers. When Aliya goes missing, her father sets out on a mission to find her. He soon discovers that she was up to more than teaching the alphabet and handing out sunblock. With each step he learns more about his daughter and a country rooted in ancestry, rich with resources, full of mystery and conflict, and a world of witchdoctors and foreign plundering, with little transparency and less justice. From the shadow of the Mukuyu tree he follows her “ghost” to the head of the dragon in Europe. But will he reach Aliya before it is too late?
200 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 7, 2016
103 people are currently reading
261 people want to read
About the author
Renee Topper
4 books19 followers* * * * *
“This is one of those few books I’d gladly put on the shelf alongside the likes of James Patterson and Lee Child, a must-read for fans of thrillers.”
–R. Oserio on Readers Favorite
Renée Topper is a storyteller in all forms. Her debut novel PIGMENT won 2016 LYRA Award for Mystery / Suspense / Thriller and is an International Book Award Winning Finalist in the Fiction: Cross Genre category. She also garners an honorable mention in The Institute for Education, Research, and Scholarships 1st Annual International Writers Award.
As a writer and producer, she digs deep to find the heart and soul of a tale -- especially those exploring the human condition -- and devise the best means to convey them, then she executes. She is currently story-smithing at StoryMatter.com. You can reach the author via email at Authors@StoryMatter.com.
Topper welcomes reviews and ratings of her stories. Kindly share your reaction to PIGMENT on Goodreads, Bookbub, Amazon, Amazon UK, Barnes and Noble, iTunes, Kobo, and Amazon UK!
Here is a link to a recent interview in SPOTLIGHT: http://shadowdancingwithmind.blogspot...
“This is one of those few books I’d gladly put on the shelf alongside the likes of James Patterson and Lee Child, a must-read for fans of thrillers.”
–R. Oserio on Readers Favorite
Renée Topper is a storyteller in all forms. Her debut novel PIGMENT won 2016 LYRA Award for Mystery / Suspense / Thriller and is an International Book Award Winning Finalist in the Fiction: Cross Genre category. She also garners an honorable mention in The Institute for Education, Research, and Scholarships 1st Annual International Writers Award.
As a writer and producer, she digs deep to find the heart and soul of a tale -- especially those exploring the human condition -- and devise the best means to convey them, then she executes. She is currently story-smithing at StoryMatter.com. You can reach the author via email at Authors@StoryMatter.com.
Topper welcomes reviews and ratings of her stories. Kindly share your reaction to PIGMENT on Goodreads, Bookbub, Amazon, Amazon UK, Barnes and Noble, iTunes, Kobo, and Amazon UK!
Here is a link to a recent interview in SPOTLIGHT: http://shadowdancingwithmind.blogspot...
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
January 31, 2018
Ughhhhhh. The issue at stake - the ritual abduction and murder of albino Africans - was hard to read about but illuminating, but it was the awful writing and audiobook production that made listening to this unbearable. The book would have been half as long if it hadn't included both the original French of every conversation, with an alternating English translation for each line. Back and forth, back and forth. I'm not sure how this appeared in the written text, but it was so frustrating in the audiobook. The plot should have been compelling but wasn't, because the writing is clunky and the characters and relationships are thinly drawn. I think it was supposed to be a thriller? I honestly don't know.
It didn't help that the audiobook was shockingly unprofessional. There are obvious mistakes that aren't edited out (the narrator just corrects herself and continues), and the main character's name is pronounced at least three different ways.
It didn't help that the audiobook was shockingly unprofessional. There are obvious mistakes that aren't edited out (the narrator just corrects herself and continues), and the main character's name is pronounced at least three different ways.
September 27, 2017
Oh goodness. This is a first. The book began with an amazing story. It was hard to put down, until about he last 25 percent, then things got a little strange.
While admittedly a fiction story, it brings to life a real problem that is occurring in Africa as we sit here. Albinos are in danger. They are being mutilated and murdered because of their lack of pigmentation. The beliefs of these people differ than that of first world countries. They see no harm in what they are doing. Back to the story, an Albino American (because we Americans always know what's best for third world countries) goes on a voluntary trip to Africa to work in a private camp for Albino children. She has no concept of what danger she has put herself in and continues to act with abandon despite the warnings of others. She feels as though her dramatic behavior is sufficient enough to change the entire country instantly. All of this is fairly realistic.
At the end though, the truth comes out about what has happened to Aliya and it's where things took a bazzarre turn. Where I don't doubt the insanity of people, even the rich, there was just a lot of rush to end the book and things didn't seem well thought out. I had to take away a star because of the way this book ended.
While admittedly a fiction story, it brings to life a real problem that is occurring in Africa as we sit here. Albinos are in danger. They are being mutilated and murdered because of their lack of pigmentation. The beliefs of these people differ than that of first world countries. They see no harm in what they are doing. Back to the story, an Albino American (because we Americans always know what's best for third world countries) goes on a voluntary trip to Africa to work in a private camp for Albino children. She has no concept of what danger she has put herself in and continues to act with abandon despite the warnings of others. She feels as though her dramatic behavior is sufficient enough to change the entire country instantly. All of this is fairly realistic.
At the end though, the truth comes out about what has happened to Aliya and it's where things took a bazzarre turn. Where I don't doubt the insanity of people, even the rich, there was just a lot of rush to end the book and things didn't seem well thought out. I had to take away a star because of the way this book ended.
July 8, 2017
Reviewed By Viga Boland for Readers’ Favorite
Diandra Forrest is a tall, absolutely stunning model, whose photo appears in the June 2017 National Geographic. What does Diandra have to do with this fictional book, Pigment, by Renee Topper? Everything and nothing. You see, Diandra is an African-American Albino, one of the luckier members of that group of people born with a genetic mutation that interferes with the amount of melanin in their bodies, leaving most of them with nearly translucent white skin, very weak eyes, white to pale orange hair and the lifetime risk of skin cancer from exposure to the sun. Why is Diandra one of the lucky ones? Unlike the thousands of albino children and adults abducted, mutilated and left to die in Tanzania, Africa, Diandra didn’t grow up there. Aliya, the female protagonist of Pigment is much like Diandra. She is a beautiful young woman who grows up in the the US. A newly graduated teacher, she heads for Tanzania on a mission: to help bring awareness to the horrible plight of albinos, to help in the fight against the crimes committed against them, and to assist young albino children to grow up loving and appreciating how special they are. It’s a noble mission fraught with danger, especially in Tanzania, but Aliya is obstinate and determined to be successful.
Does she succeed? Reading Pigment is a voyage on a stormy ocean that will leave readers unbelieving and breathless as they turn the pages. Pigment is impossible to put down. There is no wasted time, no unnecessary asides and no irrelevant action. The action never stops. Nor do the emotional highs and lows. When Aliya disappears, her retired military-trained father, Jalil, immediately flies to Tanzania and charges like a bull into a ring of deception. After all, when money is involved…and there’s lots of money involved in hunting down, abducting and murdering Albinos for their prized body parts and blood…cover ups are everywhere. Separating truth from lies, the good from the bad, and locating those responsible is near impossible. Danger and death is all around.
If, while reading Pigment, readers find themselves not wanting to believe the brutality depicted…and much of it is nauseating…reading the article “The Perils of Pale” in that issue of National Geographic mentioned above will lend credibility to the story Renee Topper has depicted so expertly in Pigment. Topper has created a fictional organization that works to help and protect Albino children, but there actually is such a group. You can find them, and donate to their cause at www.underthesamesun.com. This non-profit organization keeps detailed, gruesome records: “Since the 1990’s, in 27 African countries, at least 190 Albinos have been killed and 300 attacked, most since 2008. The epicenter of this crime wave, which includes the robbing of graves, is Tanzania.”
What is shocking to read, and Topper cites just such a situation in Pigment, is the number of fathers and relatives who will maim or slaughter an albino child not just for money…many Tanzanians are incredibly poor and hungry…but because of their belief in the teachings of the witch doctors. It’s hard to win a battle against such deeply ingrained beliefs. And it appears that it’s even harder to prosecute the criminals behind such financially lucrative operations. Read Pigment and prepare to weep over the travesties against humanity portrayed by Renee Topper. Moving and unforgettable.
Diandra Forrest is a tall, absolutely stunning model, whose photo appears in the June 2017 National Geographic. What does Diandra have to do with this fictional book, Pigment, by Renee Topper? Everything and nothing. You see, Diandra is an African-American Albino, one of the luckier members of that group of people born with a genetic mutation that interferes with the amount of melanin in their bodies, leaving most of them with nearly translucent white skin, very weak eyes, white to pale orange hair and the lifetime risk of skin cancer from exposure to the sun. Why is Diandra one of the lucky ones? Unlike the thousands of albino children and adults abducted, mutilated and left to die in Tanzania, Africa, Diandra didn’t grow up there. Aliya, the female protagonist of Pigment is much like Diandra. She is a beautiful young woman who grows up in the the US. A newly graduated teacher, she heads for Tanzania on a mission: to help bring awareness to the horrible plight of albinos, to help in the fight against the crimes committed against them, and to assist young albino children to grow up loving and appreciating how special they are. It’s a noble mission fraught with danger, especially in Tanzania, but Aliya is obstinate and determined to be successful.
Does she succeed? Reading Pigment is a voyage on a stormy ocean that will leave readers unbelieving and breathless as they turn the pages. Pigment is impossible to put down. There is no wasted time, no unnecessary asides and no irrelevant action. The action never stops. Nor do the emotional highs and lows. When Aliya disappears, her retired military-trained father, Jalil, immediately flies to Tanzania and charges like a bull into a ring of deception. After all, when money is involved…and there’s lots of money involved in hunting down, abducting and murdering Albinos for their prized body parts and blood…cover ups are everywhere. Separating truth from lies, the good from the bad, and locating those responsible is near impossible. Danger and death is all around.
If, while reading Pigment, readers find themselves not wanting to believe the brutality depicted…and much of it is nauseating…reading the article “The Perils of Pale” in that issue of National Geographic mentioned above will lend credibility to the story Renee Topper has depicted so expertly in Pigment. Topper has created a fictional organization that works to help and protect Albino children, but there actually is such a group. You can find them, and donate to their cause at www.underthesamesun.com. This non-profit organization keeps detailed, gruesome records: “Since the 1990’s, in 27 African countries, at least 190 Albinos have been killed and 300 attacked, most since 2008. The epicenter of this crime wave, which includes the robbing of graves, is Tanzania.”
What is shocking to read, and Topper cites just such a situation in Pigment, is the number of fathers and relatives who will maim or slaughter an albino child not just for money…many Tanzanians are incredibly poor and hungry…but because of their belief in the teachings of the witch doctors. It’s hard to win a battle against such deeply ingrained beliefs. And it appears that it’s even harder to prosecute the criminals behind such financially lucrative operations. Read Pigment and prepare to weep over the travesties against humanity portrayed by Renee Topper. Moving and unforgettable.
Currently reading
October 1, 2017Reviewed By Jack Magnus for Readers’ Favorite
Pigment: The Limbs of the Mukuyu Tree is a literary fiction thriller written by Renee Topper. Aliyah Scott was born with albinism, and her life in the United States was made challenging by the genetic factor that made her skin white, unlike the rich chocolate tones of her mother and father. But her life was infinitely easier than that of her fellow albinos in parts of Africa, particularly in Tanzania, where witch doctors and hunters preyed upon albino children, and the law did little to protect them. Albinos were considered to be ghosts, not real, live people, so how then could their murderers be charged with killing something that wasn't really alive? Children’s limbs were hacked off while they were alive; their blood drunk as a curative, and sometimes, it would be their own fathers, who would offer up the child for financial gain. Aliyah wanted to be part of the solution to this tragic situation. She felt an intimate involvement in the plights of the children she would be working with at Camp Kivuli. Delila, who had accepted her as a teacher sight unseen, had grave misgivings about Aliyah’s well-being while working in that country. Tanzania was the last place on earth for an American albino to be, no matter how good her intentions. All too soon, Aliyah disappeared, along with Keenan, her Irish friend. Her father, Jalil Scott, who was formerly in the Special Forces and familiar with Africa, if not Tanzania itself, was determined to find his daughter, even as he is told that it was too late, that she was gone. He would find her.
Renee Topper’s literary fiction thriller, Pigment: The Limbs of the Mukuyu Tree, is a gripping and suspenseful story that addresses the plight of albinos worldwide, but particularly in Africa. I was stunned by the ferocity and violence albino infants and children are subjected to in Tanzania, and found myself involved and engaged in Jalil’s quest to find his daughter. Pigment is a glorious read. The setting of the story is stunning. Topper brings the vast open savanna and the complexity of African cultures to the reader in each page of this original and compelling book. Jalil and his daughter are beautifully drawn characters with whom the reader can’t help but get involved. Following as Jalil gets ever closer, despite the obstructions placed before him at every step of the way, is inspirational and exciting. Pigment: The Limbs of the Mukuyu Tree is an extraordinary work about an ongoing societal tragedy. It’s most highly recommended.
Pigment: The Limbs of the Mukuyu Tree is a literary fiction thriller written by Renee Topper. Aliyah Scott was born with albinism, and her life in the United States was made challenging by the genetic factor that made her skin white, unlike the rich chocolate tones of her mother and father. But her life was infinitely easier than that of her fellow albinos in parts of Africa, particularly in Tanzania, where witch doctors and hunters preyed upon albino children, and the law did little to protect them. Albinos were considered to be ghosts, not real, live people, so how then could their murderers be charged with killing something that wasn't really alive? Children’s limbs were hacked off while they were alive; their blood drunk as a curative, and sometimes, it would be their own fathers, who would offer up the child for financial gain. Aliyah wanted to be part of the solution to this tragic situation. She felt an intimate involvement in the plights of the children she would be working with at Camp Kivuli. Delila, who had accepted her as a teacher sight unseen, had grave misgivings about Aliyah’s well-being while working in that country. Tanzania was the last place on earth for an American albino to be, no matter how good her intentions. All too soon, Aliyah disappeared, along with Keenan, her Irish friend. Her father, Jalil Scott, who was formerly in the Special Forces and familiar with Africa, if not Tanzania itself, was determined to find his daughter, even as he is told that it was too late, that she was gone. He would find her.
Renee Topper’s literary fiction thriller, Pigment: The Limbs of the Mukuyu Tree, is a gripping and suspenseful story that addresses the plight of albinos worldwide, but particularly in Africa. I was stunned by the ferocity and violence albino infants and children are subjected to in Tanzania, and found myself involved and engaged in Jalil’s quest to find his daughter. Pigment is a glorious read. The setting of the story is stunning. Topper brings the vast open savanna and the complexity of African cultures to the reader in each page of this original and compelling book. Jalil and his daughter are beautifully drawn characters with whom the reader can’t help but get involved. Following as Jalil gets ever closer, despite the obstructions placed before him at every step of the way, is inspirational and exciting. Pigment: The Limbs of the Mukuyu Tree is an extraordinary work about an ongoing societal tragedy. It’s most highly recommended.
July 5, 2017
Reviewed on behalf of Readers' Favorite:
Pigment: The Limbs of the Mukuyu Tree by Renee Topper is the harrowing tale of a young albino woman who travelled to Africa to better understand the strange cultural practices surrounding her condition. However, she enters a world far different than she imagined, where albinos are treated as ghosts, not even human, and their limbs and bodies are brutally harvested for use in ancient rituals. Aliya Scott wants nothing more than to help the children victimized by this horrible practice, but when she goes missing, her father launches a search, encountering things he had never expected in the quest to save his daughter before it’s too late.
Admittedly, I was not sure what to expect when I picked up this book. I was aware of these practices in African countries toward albino people, especially children, and that is what drew me to want to read this book. There are no pretenses made in this novel. Miss Topper presents a harsh reality of how albino people in Africa live in fear of being mutilated for witchcraft. I found both journeys—that of Aliya and her father—equally heartbreaking. I wish there had been more discussion of how other governments are working to help fight this atrocity—if at all. Overall, Pigment: The Limbs of the Mukuyu Tree by Renee Topper is worth a read, not just as a tragic story, but to inform the rest of the world of what is going on in these countries, and hopefully spur people on to take action to keep albinos safe from these antiquated practices.
Pigment: The Limbs of the Mukuyu Tree by Renee Topper is the harrowing tale of a young albino woman who travelled to Africa to better understand the strange cultural practices surrounding her condition. However, she enters a world far different than she imagined, where albinos are treated as ghosts, not even human, and their limbs and bodies are brutally harvested for use in ancient rituals. Aliya Scott wants nothing more than to help the children victimized by this horrible practice, but when she goes missing, her father launches a search, encountering things he had never expected in the quest to save his daughter before it’s too late.
Admittedly, I was not sure what to expect when I picked up this book. I was aware of these practices in African countries toward albino people, especially children, and that is what drew me to want to read this book. There are no pretenses made in this novel. Miss Topper presents a harsh reality of how albino people in Africa live in fear of being mutilated for witchcraft. I found both journeys—that of Aliya and her father—equally heartbreaking. I wish there had been more discussion of how other governments are working to help fight this atrocity—if at all. Overall, Pigment: The Limbs of the Mukuyu Tree by Renee Topper is worth a read, not just as a tragic story, but to inform the rest of the world of what is going on in these countries, and hopefully spur people on to take action to keep albinos safe from these antiquated practices.
October 11, 2017
A very disturbing book about the abuse and human trafficking of albino's and superstition.
Its good because I've never read a book with any albino characters in it before but bad because I cant figure out if this book fetishizes albinism or is just showing that it happens :/
Anyway its very graphic and hard to read in parts but if things like this happen it definitely needs to be exposed and stopped.
There were a lot of typos near the end and the story didn't flow as well as it could have because the narrators voice kept changing, it sort of jolted me out of the book every time... I thought there was only one narrator but then it seemed like each character was narrating their own story but in the 3rd person... :/
Its good because I've never read a book with any albino characters in it before but bad because I cant figure out if this book fetishizes albinism or is just showing that it happens :/
Anyway its very graphic and hard to read in parts but if things like this happen it definitely needs to be exposed and stopped.
There were a lot of typos near the end and the story didn't flow as well as it could have because the narrators voice kept changing, it sort of jolted me out of the book every time... I thought there was only one narrator but then it seemed like each character was narrating their own story but in the 3rd person... :/
October 30, 2017
Wow. What a remarkable story. Topper's quite the storyteller. I loved everything about it. I loved the muscular, melodic voice that is so present in so many good African- American writings. I loved that it's about human rights. I loved the pace, the action, the maturity, the very out of the box and non- cliché characters. The storyline was amazing too. If I had to nit- pick I'd mention that it gets very fast pace and hard to follow, or maybe some incredibility of actions like Aliya getting close enough to throw powder or stay alive so long. Nevertheless, I'd be nit- picking.
I would recommend everyone read this novel to have a picture of a bit of what's going on in Africa currently. The only people that should take a pass are people that can't keep up with fast- paced action, or that get frustrated with foreign and political speak.
I would recommend everyone read this novel to have a picture of a bit of what's going on in Africa currently. The only people that should take a pass are people that can't keep up with fast- paced action, or that get frustrated with foreign and political speak.
September 17, 2017
A dark story
This book was difficult to read. I expected some darkness because of the subject matter, and it wasn't overwhelming enough to make me stop reading. It was educational in an alarming way.
The style of writing also made it challenging to read. Many times I had to read a sentence 3 or 4 times to figure out what the author meant. I would most likely not read another book by this author.
This book was difficult to read. I expected some darkness because of the subject matter, and it wasn't overwhelming enough to make me stop reading. It was educational in an alarming way.
The style of writing also made it challenging to read. Many times I had to read a sentence 3 or 4 times to figure out what the author meant. I would most likely not read another book by this author.
September 18, 2017
Excellent story!
When you start to read this book be prepared that you won't be able to put it down till you have finished it ! The story is engrossing , disturbing, and suspenseful! The characters feel real and there is a dreadful beauty of the story. Being different can bring death! I don't want to disclose the plot because this book is a must read! Thank you to the author for writing such such a book that opens your mind and heart!
When you start to read this book be prepared that you won't be able to put it down till you have finished it ! The story is engrossing , disturbing, and suspenseful! The characters feel real and there is a dreadful beauty of the story. Being different can bring death! I don't want to disclose the plot because this book is a must read! Thank you to the author for writing such such a book that opens your mind and heart!
October 24, 2017
Tears for my Grandma Easter
Originally I thought Ms. Topper had a very vivid imagination until I did a quick Google search. I had no idea that the nightmare I was reading about was the reality for some albinos in Africa. If my albino grandmother had been born in/around Tanzania this could've been her fate. And at this very thought, I cried. Thankful that it wasn't her fate, but saddened that it was some other family's reality.
Originally I thought Ms. Topper had a very vivid imagination until I did a quick Google search. I had no idea that the nightmare I was reading about was the reality for some albinos in Africa. If my albino grandmother had been born in/around Tanzania this could've been her fate. And at this very thought, I cried. Thankful that it wasn't her fate, but saddened that it was some other family's reality.
September 23, 2017
So sad
This book was unbelievable. I can not Imagine the cruelty displayed in this book against people unfortunate enough to be born as a mulatto. I was glad that there were those who supported them and were willing to give their lives for them. It was hard to put this book down.😇😅😥😣
This book was unbelievable. I can not Imagine the cruelty displayed in this book against people unfortunate enough to be born as a mulatto. I was glad that there were those who supported them and were willing to give their lives for them. It was hard to put this book down.😇😅😥😣
October 3, 2017
I enjoyed the book and knew a little about the albino in Africa. The books was definitely eye opening about what really happens. I was saddened with the ending. It would of been great to have father and daughter reunite.
September 23, 2017
My heart broke
Reading this book broke my heart. It is devastating what humans do to one another, simply because something it different about someone. I cried for the characters
Reading this book broke my heart. It is devastating what humans do to one another, simply because something it different about someone. I cried for the characters
October 17, 2017
I am Heartbroken
This book is wonderful and sad. I had no idea that albino people faced this struggle, especially in current times.
This book is wonderful and sad. I had no idea that albino people faced this struggle, especially in current times.
November 24, 2017
An Okay Read
The story kept reading. But I hated the ending. Not at all what I expected. I don't think I will read part 2 unless it's a freebie.
The story kept reading. But I hated the ending. Not at all what I expected. I don't think I will read part 2 unless it's a freebie.
December 9, 2017
The story of young American Aliya Scott haunts me weeks after reading. Topper's recount of human trafficking and abuse, torture and murder is disturbing, and heartbreaking because it does happen today. Albinos in Africa are thought of as merchandise and no person should be thought of as such.
This is a compelling, eye opening read.
This is a compelling, eye opening read.
December 2, 2016
Title – PIGMENT: The Limbs of the Mukuyu Tree
Author – Renee Topper
Genre – Mystery, Suspense, Thriller, Political
193 Amazon Pages
Rating 4 stars out of 5 Posted12/2/16
Main Characters
Aliya Scott – African American albino from Los Angles who travels to Tanzania, Africa to work w/ albinos.
Jalil Scott. Aliya's father- ex mercenary.
Kennon Dunnovan – Aliya's Scottish friend and aid volunteer. He's in love with her
Rhadi - Aliya's African friend and aid volunteer. He's in love with her
BE WARNED! The actions graphically portrayed in this story, based on real incidents, are cruel, gruesome and disgusting. If you care to learn more about the actual plight of Tanzanian albinos in African, Google: Tanzania, Albino. The articles and pictures there will awaken you to the plight of people who are 'different' in the midst of superstitious, ignorant tribal natives directed by witchdoctors to hunt and dismember albinos. Their body parts and skin are sold to be used as talismans and magical potions. The practice is real and elevated to rampant in 2005. Approximately one in fifteen hundred Tanzanians born are albino and at risk of being butchered piecemeal or murdered.
Pigment is a beautiful telling of an ugly, insidious practice born out of ignorance and incredible cruelty.
The brutality described is horrific: rape, butchering and skinning albinos including young children, burning innocent live people to death.
Aliya arrives in Tanzania to work with orphaned albino children. Two young men are in love with her but she rejects both to concentrate on her work with the people she came to help.
There is a diabolical plot underway to steal Aliya because she is an albino. Local corrupt politicians turn a blind eye to the plight of albinos because they are bribed.
When Aliya disappears, her father, Jalil flies to Africa to rescue her.
The story is full of action and suspense but is difficult to read because of the subject matter.
The story is overshadowed by poor editing, not terrible, with missing, extra, misspelled and wrong words.
Character development and general location details are sparse.
Research is evident in the plight of the albinos but then falls short when a Glock handgun is described as an antique. Glock began manufacturing semiautomatic handguns in 1982. Thirty-four years does not make one an antique.
The plot is frightening, loathsome and ugly but forms an incredible story that needs to be told.
Dialog spoken and written in French is followed by the English translation and is clumsy and boring. It only serves to slow the story and is a major distraction.
I highly recommend this story if you have the intestinal fortitude to finish it.
This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Author – Renee Topper
Genre – Mystery, Suspense, Thriller, Political
193 Amazon Pages
Rating 4 stars out of 5 Posted12/2/16
Main Characters
Aliya Scott – African American albino from Los Angles who travels to Tanzania, Africa to work w/ albinos.
Jalil Scott. Aliya's father- ex mercenary.
Kennon Dunnovan – Aliya's Scottish friend and aid volunteer. He's in love with her
Rhadi - Aliya's African friend and aid volunteer. He's in love with her
BE WARNED! The actions graphically portrayed in this story, based on real incidents, are cruel, gruesome and disgusting. If you care to learn more about the actual plight of Tanzanian albinos in African, Google: Tanzania, Albino. The articles and pictures there will awaken you to the plight of people who are 'different' in the midst of superstitious, ignorant tribal natives directed by witchdoctors to hunt and dismember albinos. Their body parts and skin are sold to be used as talismans and magical potions. The practice is real and elevated to rampant in 2005. Approximately one in fifteen hundred Tanzanians born are albino and at risk of being butchered piecemeal or murdered.
Pigment is a beautiful telling of an ugly, insidious practice born out of ignorance and incredible cruelty.
The brutality described is horrific: rape, butchering and skinning albinos including young children, burning innocent live people to death.
Aliya arrives in Tanzania to work with orphaned albino children. Two young men are in love with her but she rejects both to concentrate on her work with the people she came to help.
There is a diabolical plot underway to steal Aliya because she is an albino. Local corrupt politicians turn a blind eye to the plight of albinos because they are bribed.
When Aliya disappears, her father, Jalil flies to Africa to rescue her.
The story is full of action and suspense but is difficult to read because of the subject matter.
The story is overshadowed by poor editing, not terrible, with missing, extra, misspelled and wrong words.
Character development and general location details are sparse.
Research is evident in the plight of the albinos but then falls short when a Glock handgun is described as an antique. Glock began manufacturing semiautomatic handguns in 1982. Thirty-four years does not make one an antique.
The plot is frightening, loathsome and ugly but forms an incredible story that needs to be told.
Dialog spoken and written in French is followed by the English translation and is clumsy and boring. It only serves to slow the story and is a major distraction.
I highly recommend this story if you have the intestinal fortitude to finish it.
This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
October 14, 2022
Tanzania is one of the African countries where, compared to other countries, albinism is relatively common. Medicine men assault albinos and criminals have found a source of lucrative trade in them and make big money off albinos' limbs. They bring good luck, or cure diseases - according to superstitions. It costs many albinos a hand, a foot, or worse, their lives. In this story, Aliya, herself an albino, travels to Tanzania to help albino children, but she disappears. Her father then also travels to Tanzania to search for her.
This promised to be an interesting book for me, but the execution was mediocre, it just couldn't hold my attention. What is not conducive to this story is the lack of sympathetic characters and the poor narration of the audiobook. Annoyingly, many conversations are in French, sometimes even Swahili, and then translated into English, which made the flow disappear, and I regularly wondered what I was actually listening to. Too bad, I wanted to like it better.
This promised to be an interesting book for me, but the execution was mediocre, it just couldn't hold my attention. What is not conducive to this story is the lack of sympathetic characters and the poor narration of the audiobook. Annoyingly, many conversations are in French, sometimes even Swahili, and then translated into English, which made the flow disappear, and I regularly wondered what I was actually listening to. Too bad, I wanted to like it better.
December 27, 2020
Way too sad to ever reread. The reader follows the father of an American girl who has disappeared, as he tracks where she had been before. He does not find her in time to save her. The lesson to learn from this book is that if you land in a foreign country and your contact tells you to turn around and go home, it is too dangerous for you to stay, you should listen.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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February 24, 2018Although this is a work of fiction, I am certain that the author was influenced by a 2013 Washington Times article about the problem of people with albinoism being hunted and killed in several countries in Africa. Renee Topper engages the reader with her storyteller's writing style. The subject needs to be known around the globe in order to influence change.
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/...
Hard to believe that current cultures fear albinos, believe they are ghosts instead of human beings, believe they should be killed at birth, believe it is a sign that the mother has slept with someone other than the father, believe that killing them for their body parts will "cure" people through rituals or in "medicinal" form. There is demand for albino body parts in Asia and Europe. This is not a plight located on only one continent. This book woke me up to a plight of which I knew nothing. Its ending left me with nightmares for several nights.
The Washington Times published an article about this problem back in 2006.
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/...
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/...
Hard to believe that current cultures fear albinos, believe they are ghosts instead of human beings, believe they should be killed at birth, believe it is a sign that the mother has slept with someone other than the father, believe that killing them for their body parts will "cure" people through rituals or in "medicinal" form. There is demand for albino body parts in Asia and Europe. This is not a plight located on only one continent. This book woke me up to a plight of which I knew nothing. Its ending left me with nightmares for several nights.
The Washington Times published an article about this problem back in 2006.
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/...
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