The Incredible True Story of Blondy Baruti: My Unlikely Journey from the Congo to Hollywood

Blondy Baruti

Aug 2018 · Tantor Media Inc · Narrated by Ron Butler

About this audiobook

Blondy Baruti's boyhood in the Democratic Republic of the Congo was shaped by a desperate ordeal to survive. After marauding soldiers invaded his village, he, his mom, and his sister fled to the jungle and trekked countless miles to escape the atrocities and violence-only to encounter more unspeakable horrors at every turn. Their odyssey ended some sixteen months later when they finally reached safety-but Blondy's journey had only just begun. In an amazing true story that seems more like fiction, we see Blondy overcome incredible odds-poverty, fever, hunger, betrayal-in pursuit of daring dreams that take him from his fight for survival in the Congolese jungle to a dazzling turn on an A-list red carpet after earning a role in the Marvel blockbuster, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. In between are some incredible twists and turns: basketball dreams nurtured and squashed; a crooked cousin who breaks the inviolable bonds of family; and beneficent strangers who change everything. A powerful and timely tale of triumph over adversity, The Incredible True Story of Blondy Baruti will have you rooting for Blondy throughout his tale and leave you inspired on your own path to greatness.

About the author

Blondy Baruti is a former basketball star and an actor. He was born in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, attended the University of Tulsa, and currently lives in California. Blondy has starred in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 as Huhtar, and has filmed several pilots for ABC.

Ron Butler is a Los Angeles-based actor and voice artist with over a hundred film and television credits (playing everything from brooding doctors to screwball hipsters). Ron works regularly as a commercial and animation voice-over artist and has voiced a wide variety of audiobooks.

Joe Layden is an award-winning journalist and the author or coauthor of more than twenty books, including Street Justice and the #1 New York Times bestseller The Rock Says. He lives in upstate New York.