The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: Creating Currents of Electricity and Hope

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The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: Creating Currents of Electricity and Hope

by William Kamkwamba (Goodreads Author), Bryan Mealer

4.06 of 5 stars 4.06 · rating details · 5,501 ratings · 1,392 reviews

William Kamkwamba was born in Malawi, a country where magic ruled and modern science was mystery. It was also a land withered by drought and hunger, and a place where hope and opportunity were hard to find. But William had read about windmills in a book called Using Energy, and he dreamed of building one that would bring electricity and water to his village and change his...more William Kamkwamba was born in Malawi, a country where magic ruled and modern science was mystery. It was also a land withered by drought and hunger, and a place where hope and opportunity were hard to find. But William had read about windmills in a book called Using Energy, and he dreamed of building one that would bring electricity and water to his village and change his life and the lives of those around him. His neighbors may have mocked him and called him misala--crazy--but William was determined to show them what a little grit and ingenuity could do.

Enchanted by the workings of electricity as a boy, William had a goal to study science in Malawi's top boarding schools. But in 2002, his country was stricken with a famine that left his family's farm devastated and his parents destitute. Unable to pay the eighty-dollar-a-year tuition for his education, William was forced to drop out and help his family forage for food as thousands across the country starved and died.

Yet William refused to let go of his dreams. With nothing more than a fistful of cornmeal in his stomach, a small pile of once-forgotten science textbooks, and an armory of curiosity and determination, he embarked on a daring plan to bring his family a set of luxuries that only two percent of Malawians could afford and what the West considers a necessity--electricity and running water. Using scrap metal, tractor parts, and bicycle halves, William forged a crude yet operable windmill, an unlikely contraption and small miracle that eventually powered four lights, complete with homemade switches and a circuit breaker made from nails and wire. A second machine turned a water pump that could battle the drought and famine that loomed with every season.

Soon, news of William's magetsi a mphepo--his "electric wind"--spread beyond the borders of his home, and the boy who was once called crazy became an inspiration to those around the world.

Here is the remarkable story about human inventiveness and its power to overcome crippling adversity. The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind will inspire anyone who doubts the power of one individual's ability to change his community and better the lives of those around him.(less)

Hardcover, 270 pages

Published September 29th 2009 by William Morrow (first published February 29th 2000)

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Oct 20, 2011 Seth rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Everyone

Recommended to Seth by: Amazon Vine

It's easy to say a book "isn't just about (insert subject)" but The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind really is not just about William Kamkwamba's windmill. The windmill doesn't even come to fruition until about two hundred pages in. The majority of the book is about William's life as a child and the culture of his homeland in Malawi (Africa), which at times is depressing - his family lives with the bare minimum, they survive a famine, and William wasn't able to attend school due to financial constrain...more

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Jan 13, 2010 Erika rated it 3 of 5 stars

The fascinating and true story of William Kamkwamba, a curious and ingenious 14 year old boy who is forced to drop out of school as his family teeters on the edge of starvation during a serious drought in his home country of Malawi (Africa). William, who unsuccessfully tries to sneak back into school, makes use of the public library in an attempt to teach himself and stay caught up with his class. In the library he discovers a book about generating electricity through windmills. He can hardly re...more

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Jan 23, 2010 Vy rated it 4 of 5 stars

"I try, and I made it!"

That quote from William Kamkwamba pretty much sums up this book. It is an amazing, inspirational, and deeply humbling story of a teenage boy from an impoverished farming family in Malawi. The first part of the book gives you insight into Kamkwamba's life and struggles. His challenges are the type that you can already imagine in broad strokes, but Kamkwamba and co-author Mealer help you experience them in a visceral way. The description of the famine was nearly too much to...more

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Aug 17, 2010 Miss GP rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book sat on my shelf for over a year mostly due to its unfortunate title. It certainly sounded boring! I only read it because it filled a challenge need. I was delighted to find, though, that it was far from dull, and I can honestly say that it's become one of my new all-time favorites. It's one of those books I want to hand to all my friends and say, "Read this. You'll love it!"

Although the book is certainly about Kamkwamba creating a way to generate electricity, that part of his story co...more

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Mar 03, 2013 Linda rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Lent to Amy Brinker

Recommended to Linda by: Shelf Awareness

Shelves: arc, own

William Butler Yeats said, "Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire." Young William Kamkwamba was instrumental in keeping his personal educational fire roaring. This is his story of growing up in Malawi with a loving family who during William's teen years suffer through drought and famine keeping his family destitute and unable to keep their son in school. This does not quench William's thirst for learning. Through dedicated and monopolistic use of library books, Willi...more

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Nov 04, 2009 Nari (The Novel World) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: memoirs, 2009

The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind is an autobiographical account of William Kamkwamba’s life in Malawi. Although it was pitched to me as a book about a boy who built a windmill, the actual content was so much more inspirational and memorable. William takes us through the entire course of his life, from early childhood to his late teens when he did build a windmill. Growing up, William was always caught between past traditions and beliefs of magic and wizards, and western mentality that his father b...more

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May 10, 2013 Katherine Guerrero added it

For the final book, I shot two birds with one stone by reading The Boy who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwaba which focused on a Malawi’s boy journey to create a windmill for his home. Dr. Don required that we each read a book about energy and among the choices, The Boy who Harnessed the Wind seemed to be the most interesting, mostly because it was an actual story.

The Boy who Harnessed the Wind revolved around author William Kamkwabas childhood which led him to build a windmill next to his h...more

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Jan 10, 2012 Jennifer rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: memoir

From My Blog....[return][return]Deeply moving and thought-provoking, The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkawmba and Bryan Mealer is a look at William’s creative dreams made reality. This book is a beautiful retelling of William’s life, beginning with his childhood, which was filled with a mixture of witchcraft, God, folklore and ultimately, of science. I was completely drawn into the stories of the Malawians as well as the various beliefs and superstitions. The details of day-to-day lif...more

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Mar 13, 2011 Wisteria Leigh rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind[return]by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer[return]October 2009[return]William Morrow[return]978-0-06-173032-0[return]$25.99.288 pages[return][return]Many have goals that require hard work and persistence. Many have setbacks that often delay the realization of their goals. Many give up. Many succeed. When you read � The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind� , you will read the memoir of William Kamkwamba, who had a dream, had a goal to help his family and did not give up.[r...more The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind[return]by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer[return]October 2009[return]William Morrow[return]978-0-06-173032-0[return]$25.99.288 pages[return][return]Many have goals that require hard work and persistence. Many have setbacks that often delay the realization of their goals. Many give up. Many succeed. When you read � The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind� , you will read the memoir of William Kamkwamba, who had a dream, had a goal to help his family and did not give up.[return][return]William believes, � If you want to make it, all you have to do is try.� William was born in Malawi the son of a farmer in the town of Dowa. As a young boy famine strangles the country choking the harvest. William� s family is faced with the daily struggle to survive. Each day becomes harder and harder as their meager meals shrink to barely a spoonful at each meal. Meals are often skipped entirely. Ropes tie up pants as the body shrinks, muscles deteriorate and weakness replaces strength. Stealing, violence and desperation become the norm among the Malawian people. [return][return]William must drop out of school when his father cannot pay the fee for tuition. But William has an idea. He visits the library and begins to read Explaining Physics. He comes up with the idea to create electricity by making a windmill. He believes � a windmill means more than just power, it means freedom.� [return][return]William scavenges for materials to build his windmill by visiting the local junkyard. He learns and applies the physics required and then must find parts that will work together. People in the village think he is crazy. But he won� t give up as he learns, reworks and perfects his creation. After all he says, � Any new invention is going to have its share of problems.....� His windmill tower looks primitive as he uses PVC pipe, tires, old rubber, bottle caps and other recycled finds. It is creatively artistic, but most importantly, it works, capable of generating power for his family. � Look� someone said, � He� s made light.� [return][return]This memoir is much more than a story of a boy building a windmill. It is a miracle of wonder that � something good can come from something bad.� William� s story is very special. Through his eyes you witness the harsh reality of poverty. Lives that depend on the fickleness of weather and the emergence of malaria and other life-threatening illness for survival. Read about William Kamkwamba, a remarkable boy whose self determination and willful nature would not let any obstacle block his education.[return][return]Wisteria Leigh[return]Bookworms Dinner(less)

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May 14, 2013 Jai Willkomm rated it 3 of 5 stars

The boy who harnessed the wind is the story of a young African man, William kamkwamba who is from the province of Malawi. Suffering and living with extreme poverty his whole life he has realized the power that no one has used to try and change it. William one day goes to his public library and discovers the power of books and unlocking knowledge. William and his friends can't seem to stay out if the library week after week. The books that catch their eyes are mostly science and engineering. Will...more

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May 13, 2013 Alexandra Harris rated it 3 of 5 stars

I actually began reading this book for Dr. Don's class. I chose it because it was more narrative-like than the other books on the list. We also saw a Ted Talk from the guy who wrote it, which piqued my interest from the start. The story depicts a boy, William, who lives in this world of magic, god, and eventually science. William has a hard life where at one point his family and him aren't even sure if they'll make it to next year due to starvation.

Eventually, after the starvation that swept ove...more

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May 11, 2013 Raziya Bryant rated it 4 of 5 stars

William Kamkwamba, is a well written writer, who shared his memories and stories throughout the book. Which is called: The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind. He talks about how his parents couldn't afford for him to go to school and he was forced to leave from school, which was in Masitala, Africa it was an $80 a yearly tuition. For a child to be able to go a school and get the full experience for high school. Once he got kicked out, he always dreamed about being a engineer and also to help out his vil...more William Kamkwamba, is a well written writer, who shared his memories and stories throughout the book. Which is called: The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind. He talks about how his parents couldn't afford for him to go to school and he was forced to leave from school, which was in Masitala, Africa it was an $80 a yearly tuition. For a child to be able to go a school and get the full experience for high school. Once he got kicked out, he always dreamed about being a engineer and also to help out his village. When he got the opportunity to go to the library and pick up books about windmills he became so enlighten about the books he read. One book that struck him the most was a book called "Using Energy," and he got hooked, the difficult part was he barely knew English so he couldn't comprehend what the book was talking about. So he had to search for an English-Chichewa dictionary,that would help him learn English. From this dictionary he started to learn English and learn what this particular book was saying.
This certain book "Using Energy," described how windmills could be used to generate electricity. This sparked an idea from him to build an windmill. That will bring electricity and water to his village and that would also change his life and others that live around the village. The crazy part about the village, was that only two percent of Malawians had electricity, and the service that was unreliable. From the reading, William decided an electric windmill was something he wanted to make for the village that would run all night for people to use. Which meant that his house and the other houses in his village would mean that people could read at night after work. He wanted a windmill to to pump water for him family business instead of doing it by hand. This meant that they could grow two crops a year rather than one, and also grow vegetable gardens for the business and from food for the his house.
When I first came across this book, I thought this book would be sort of interesting and I didn't know what to except and before I knew it, it became a goal for me to finish this book. I started to read a couple pages from the book, and the main character William Kamkwamba had my attention from the beginning to the end of the book. Especially when he offered to build a windmill and described his whole struggle and achievements through out the whole book. I enjoyed this book because it helped me understand more abut windmills and what this man went through in his life in Africa.
My favorite part of this book was when he talked about a quote, it started like this: “Thinking of them reminds me of a quote I read recently from the great Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. that says, "If you can't fly, run; if you can't run, walk; if you can't walk, crawl." We must encourage those still struggling to keep moving forward.” This quote really inspired me to keep moving forward no matter what happens in life.
I recommend this book to everyone.
His novel quickly crossed over from his village to the United States community. With that said, his book touched a lot of hearts and it made him a better man today and made other people believe in their dreams.
“I rate this book 4 stars”

(less)

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May 08, 2013 Alex Kawamoto rated it 3 of 5 stars

This book by William Kamkwamba is very good. It is about a boy living in Tanzania and his families struggles through famine, no money, and sickness. William the main character and his family is very poor and cant afford to go to school like all the other kids. So he decides to borrow books from the library. He learns all about windmills and all sorts of different scientific material. He really likes the books and studies them so he decides to make a windmill of his own and create electricity for...more

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May 04, 2013 Stephen Matlock rated it 5 of 5 stars

Oh my.

I was prepared to like the book because I had heard some bits and pieces of what this boy did.

But then you find out what he really did, and where he did it, and how he did it. And it is overwhelming how smart and creative and giving he is.

This boy (a man now) is a reminder of how good and creative humans can be, how much we can give to each other.

Starting from just an innate curiosity and prompted by need, young William, a drop-out from middle school due to a near-catastrophic country-w...more

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May 01, 2013 Jp rated it 4 of 5 stars

When I first picked up this book, I thought it was only going to talk about the windmill that he built-- that the cover image suggests-- but it's kind of like an autobiography.
It talks about multiple topics such as his father, talking about: The life he lived, the man that he was, his values and beliefs, his hardships and how he met his wife.
This book also talks about William: his life as a child growing up in Africa, his hardships, childhood stories, and how he was inspired to build this wind...more

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Apr 19, 2013 Jonathan rated it 4 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Whatever misleading images or notions the title may convey, this book is so much more than the story of one boy and his brilliant quest for a windmill. The first half or more of the book is William's story: of his village, his family, his friends, and what his day to day life is like. And, life wasn't easy. William Kamkwamba’s captivating memoir is about growing up in a rural farming village where technology is starting to trickle into his community. William and his friends play like kids anywhe...more Whatever misleading images or notions the title may convey, this book is so much more than the story of one boy and his brilliant quest for a windmill. The first half or more of the book is William's story: of his village, his family, his friends, and what his day to day life is like. And, life wasn't easy. William Kamkwamba’s captivating memoir is about growing up in a rural farming village where technology is starting to trickle into his community. William and his friends play like kids anywhere, repurposing any old thing into toy cars, or Rambo style rifles. He has a natural curiosity about how things work – radios, windmills, cars, machines of any kind.

A devastating famine strikes Malawi reducing villages, communities and families to the slimmest existence with all money now spent on food. This means no more schooling for William. Instead, he must now help his family survive by any means he can. He’s disappointed at his loss of daily camaraderie with his friends and classmates and makes his way to his village library to hone his reading skills. There he discovers books about physics and electricity and, with renewed interest and energy, he learns all he can about these sciences.

Not satisfied with just learning the why and how of things, he also envisions ways to use his newfound knowledge. He starts by finding a way to power his radio to listen to his favorite reggae artists without relying on batteries - hard to obtain and costly. From there he’s captivated with ideas of creating faster, better ways to harness electricity: to ease his mother’s need to haul water for home use; to provide electrically driven windmills to aid in the hard labor of farming for more stable production. Soon he’s realizing the ability to bring his electrical grid to wider distribution. Local, national and international blogger communities discover his work and bring William and his story to the attention of international scientists and venture capitalists.

Inspiring and life changing, William, now in his mid 20s, has achieved a far larger role than his first quest to find a reliable power source for his radio. William’s book is a marvel of innovation and solutions for a new generation growing into the challenges of our modern world.

A definite recommendation for any teenager who appreciates technology and the learning system we in the US are lucky to have.(less)

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Jan 06, 2013 Louise Mundt rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: biography, true-story

“Drengen der tæmmede vinden” var min bogudfordrings-bog for juni. Udfordringen lød på at læse en bog fra et andet kontinent end Europa eller Nordamerika, og dér passede bogen perfekt ind, da forfatteren er fra Malawi, Afrika. En finurlig trivia er, at min svigerinde faktisk i øjeblikket opholder sig 2 måneder i Malawi, så det gjorde det ekstra interessant at læse om forholdene i landet.

Bogen fortælles af William Kamkwamba, som er opvokset i Malawi. Han er søn af en handelsmand, senere bonde, der...more “Drengen der tæmmede vinden” var min bogudfordrings-bog for juni. Udfordringen lød på at læse en bog fra et andet kontinent end Europa eller Nordamerika, og dér passede bogen perfekt ind, da forfatteren er fra Malawi, Afrika. En finurlig trivia er, at min svigerinde faktisk i øjeblikket opholder sig 2 måneder i Malawi, så det gjorde det ekstra interessant at læse om forholdene i landet.

Bogen fortælles af William Kamkwamba, som er opvokset i Malawi. Han er søn af en handelsmand, senere bonde, der har en stabil indtægt og ambitioner for sine børn. Både piger og drenge bliver sendt i skole, og det er faderens tanke, at hans børn skal have en god uddannelse, så de kan klare sig bedst muligt i det fattige land. Desværre rammes Malawi af hungersnød, og det sætter en brat stopper for familiens fremtidsplaner. William er dog ikke til at stoppe, for han beslutter at bygge en vindmølle, der vil kunne levere strøm til at pumpesystem, der vil kunne vande faderens marker.

For engangs skyld har jeg valgt et andet billede end bogens forside, men det skyldes, at jeg synes, I skulle have mulighed for at sætte ansigt på hovedpersonen og hans berømte vindmølle.

“Drengen der tæmmede vinden” er meget anderledes end andre bøger, jeg har læst. Fordi det er en sand beretning, er sproget nogle gange lidt tungt (“jeg gjorde sådan og sådan”, “så skete der sådan og sådan”), men bogen formåede alligevel at fænge, fordi historien selv er gribende. Særlig den del af bogen, der handler om hungersnøden, og Williams kamp for at bygge sin vindmølle ramte, for det kræver helt utroligt gå-på-mod og viljestyrke at blive ved med at holde fast i sin drøm, når man ikke har fået andet end en enkelt mundfuld majsgrød i flere dage.

Jeg synes også, at det var spændende at læse om Malawi. Jeg har svært ved at forestille mig, hvordan det er at vokse op i sådan et land. På den ene side er de moderne – har mobiltelefoner, discmen (nu formentlig mp3-afspillere) osv. – på den anden side er det en sjældenhed at have strøm i sit eget hus, og man må betale for at lade sine gadgets op i det nærmeste storcenter, med mindre de kører på batterier.

En anden ting, jeg godt kunne lide ved bogen er, at den bruger lang tid på at beskrive Williams forsøg med elektricitet og på at beskrive, hvordan han konstruerer sin vindmølle. William har ikke – som os i DK – lært tingenes rette sammenhæng i skolen, så han prøver sig frem med radioer og cykeldynamoer, og siden hen får han fat i en gammel fysikbog i byens bibliotek. Det er virkelig spændende, at få mulighed for at følge med i hans tanker og overvejelser undervejs som han bliver klogere på strøm og fysikkens love.

Jeg var i tvivl om, hvilken karakter denne bog skulle have. På den ene side vil jeg gerne anbefale andre at læse bogen pga. dens livsbekræftende indhold, på den anden side er den på ingen måde et litterært mesterværk og jeg tror ikke, det er en bog man kan læse igen og igen. Jeg ender dog på et 4-tal, selvom det ikke er en bog, jeg vil tage frem og læse igen, for det var virkelig en oplevelse at læse bogen første gang.(less)

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Nov 01, 2012 Tai the Lioness rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: characters-change-for-the-better, children, depressing, diff-between-being-alive-and-living, emphasis-on-family, favorites-of-all-time, favorites, impending-poverty, life-and-death, must-reads-classics, no-comic-relief, recommended-to-all, tears-tears-tears, required-reading, theme-poverty, setting-africa-south-africa, setting-malawi, innovativeness, making-something-out-of-nothing, famine, human-nature, death-would-be-better-than-living, theme-resiliency

This book is amazing..."

This was my required reading over the summer before I came to purdue university. I never read the book because I thought it would be boring and that I didn't need to. Kamkwamba actually came to purdue and did a speech and talked to students. I didn't go to that because I didn't read the book and thought it would be boring. Then, my Nursing 108 class of all classes decided that it was required reading. Anyways, tomorrow or today I should say, I have an assignment and a nec...more

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Oct 23, 2012 Emma rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is a very inspiring memoir that I would recommend to everyone. It takes place in a small village in the country, Malawi, in the late 90s to early 2000s. The first part of the story focuses on William Kamkawamba's life in his village. It describes the culture, food, jobs, and lack of technology and infrastructure there. Most people are maize farmers, and are very poor. By reading this book I learned a lot about a country I had never heard of, and a way of life which is so different from my o...more

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Aug 19, 2012 Jkcmccandless rated it 4 of 5 stars

As you are reading this book you really have to remind yourself that the events did not happen decades, even a century ago...they happened VERY RECENTLY! I constantly had to say "Did that just say 2006? You can't be serious!"...its such a foreign idea for me to believe that people still struggle with basic needs as well as having a constant fear of famines as they do in Africa. I am embarrased by my ignorance! The parts about magic, superstitions, and witchcraft were interesting to me...again so...more

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Feb 03, 2012 Nancy Kennedy rated it 5 of 5 stars

At every funeral in William Kamkwamba's family, mourners make their peace with death as they sing the old hymn, "This World Is Not My Home." Yet William Kamkwamba isn't ready to concede. As long as he is in this world, he has a burning desire to make it a better home for himself, his family and for his beloved country of Malawi.

William grew up in a place where "magic ruled the world." His world and his beliefs were shaped by a community that revered witch doctors and wizards and feared many thin...more At every funeral in William Kamkwamba's family, mourners make their peace with death as they sing the old hymn, "This World Is Not My Home." Yet William Kamkwamba isn't ready to concede. As long as he is in this world, he has a burning desire to make it a better home for himself, his family and for his beloved country of Malawi.

William grew up in a place where "magic ruled the world." His world and his beliefs were shaped by a community that revered witch doctors and wizards and feared many things: magic hyenas, secret gangs of evil dancers and "witch planes" that snatched children from their beds at night.

But William puts his faith in science. In a local library, really just a few shelves of tattered books, he finds salvation in some old physics and science textbooks. He is riveted by diagrams of energy and electricity. His clever mind is reeling: he begins to take apart radios, bikes, and whatever discarded, dilapidated small appliances and machines he can find. Eventually, he dreams of building a windmill and creating enough electricity to power his family's home and irrigate their crops. He is driven by his quest to banish the hovering dread and harsh realities of poverty and starvation.

William's community, his friends, even his family think he is "misala" -- crazy. And, living as he does in a place that is ravaged by natural and human forces, in which few children are educated, in which men without hope drown their despair in alcohol, and in which governmental corruption and greed all combine to extinguish the dreams of an entire country, perhaps he is a little crazy. His goal is no less than to conquer both Nature and human nature.

Mr. Kamkwamba's book is an inspiring tale that kept me glued to its pages from start to finish. He and his co-writer have produced a story that is compulsively readable and comprehensively descriptive. (In fact, their scope is so wide that the word "windmill" doesn't even appear until 200 pages into the narrative.) The book's breezy, storytelling style reminded me of Alexander McCall Smith's fictional series The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency set in Botswana. My only quibble is that the language Bryan Mealer employs to tell Mr. Kamkwamba's story is glaringly Americanized in many places. But, suck it up (as we Americans like to say), and enjoy this incredible story. (less)

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Nov 28, 2011 Nikki rated it 4 of 5 stars

In The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind, Malawians’ refusal to embrace science in favor of magic causes problems for the protagonist, William Kamkwamba, who wants to uphold the folklore and mysticism of his own culture. In fact, his fellow townspeople even suspect that William and his windmill might have contributed to the continuous drought that ravaged Malawi. Despite the adversity that William faces from his townspeople, William is able to see beyond the world of us versus them and individual agent...more

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Nov 09, 2011 Christopher rated it 5 of 5 stars

I stumbled upon this book when a story about William appeared in my alumni magazine. I found myself amazed and inspired by his story, his accomplishment, and his perseverance in the face of many obstacles. His abilities and ingenuity challenged some of my assumptions about what's necessary to enact lasting change in a given community, while also nudging me to explore what sorts of gifts and talents I'm afraid to risk using, lest I fail. Moreover, I found his narrative of living through a famine...more

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Oct 07, 2011 Sue rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: memoir, st-luke-s-book-club

This book was the June selection for the book club I have joined. It's selection highlights one of the things I most like about my book club: it encourages me to read books I otherwise would not choose. This is one of those books. I had seen it in the bookstore but would not have picked it up, assuming (quite rightly, as it turned out) that a discussion of the mechanics of producing electricity would cause my eyes to glaze over (much like they did in high school physics classes). This is not the...more This book was the June selection for the book club I have joined. It's selection highlights one of the things I most like about my book club: it encourages me to read books I otherwise would not choose. This is one of those books. I had seen it in the bookstore but would not have picked it up, assuming (quite rightly, as it turned out) that a discussion of the mechanics of producing electricity would cause my eyes to glaze over (much like they did in high school physics classes). This is not the fault of the author, however; it is the fault of my brain. But do be forewarned that, if you have a brain much like mine and you choose to read this book, there will be pages that you just want to skip. (Though I did not, because I am a DEDICATED book club member!)

The value of this book for me was in its ability to picture life in the Third World -- from an individual perspective -- in a way that I otherwise could not do. I do not know what it is like to have an inquiring mind and a thirst for knowledge and yet be unable to attend school for lack of funds. I do not know what it is like to seek learning -- I mean, really SEEK it -- and have my best resource for information be a decades-old textbook written in a language that is not my native language. I do not know what it is like to starve. My consciousness of these realities needed to be raised, and so for this reason alone, I am very glad that I read this book. (Though the night I read of the starving time -- and could really picture it in a way that I have never done before -- I could not sleep. Consciousness-raising is not necessarily a comfortable experience.)

One additional comment: My actual rating of this BOOK would be 3.5 points, but as we all know, no half points allowed! So I gave it 3 (following my own personal policy of truncating points down rather than rounding them up.) HOWEVER, if someone would ask me to rate William Kamkwanba's LIFE (William is the "boy" in the title), I would have to give him a 5 -- he was (and is) an amazing individual. (less)

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Aug 29, 2011 Arlene rated it 3 of 5 stars

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Aug 18, 2011 Laura Smith rated it 4 of 5 stars

Magic. This book starts with magic and ends with magic. Not the kind we read in Harry Potter, but something more powerful. At first I got tangled in the voodoo and superstition that clouds the first few chapters, but soon I realized the mysterious magic in Malawi isn't that different than the monsters under the bed, cracked mirrors, Friday the 13th and black cats of American culture. What is different from William Kamkwamba's life is poverty. But he does not let that stop him from creating real...more

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Aug 15, 2011 Tom rated it 3 of 5 stars

14 year old William Kamkwamba's family is one that hangs onto the bottom rung of human survival. As farmers in Malawi, there aren't any poorer to be found in the world. When a famine hits his country, thousands die and William is forced out of school when his family can no longer afford the tuition. In the midst of this, William gets the idea to create a windmill out of junkyard parts in order to produce electricity. This is a massive "mind-leap" in a village that exists largely outside the ring...more

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Jun 03, 2011 Nikitabanana rated it 5 of 5 stars

Discarded motor parts, PVC pipe, and an old bicycle wheel may be junk to most people, but in the hands of William Kamkwamba, they are just the tools he needs to realize his dream. This is one of those books that reaffirms my chronically devastating laziness. Born into a relatively poor family in Malawi during a particularly turbulent time in Africa, William and his family suffered through the tragic famine that struck Africa in 2002 which made them unable to afford his school fees and William’s...more

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May 09, 2011 Iskreads rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 7th-sims

Living with electricity has always been normal for us, but for a young boy named William, it was a dream beyond a dream. In the book The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba, William tells his life story, and how he figured out how to make electricity.

One thing that I thought made this book so interesting is that William himself is telling the story. He writes about his life, and what happens in his life. That, to me, makes the book very cool to read, because you can experience who t...more

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Apr 16, 2011 Marcy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, "If you can't fly, run; if you can't run, walk; if you can't walk, crawl." William Kamkwamba is an innovator who "harnessed the wind" by building a windmill to bring electricity to his home in Malawi sometime after nearly many families almost perished from hunger due to drought and government corruption. William began his "studies" by studying on his own in the library when his father could no longer pay for his education. William spent days searching a local dum...more

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Which part of story blow the windmill and turn on the lights in your heart?	5	22	May 11, 2013 12:37am
Great African Reads: (Mar)/Apr: Malawi \| "The boy who harnessed the wind"	37	33	Apr 30, 2013 08:19pm

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About William Kamkwamba

William Kamkwamba was born August 5, 1987 in Malawi, and grew up on his family farm in Wimbe, two and half hours northeast of Malawi’s capital city. William was educated at Wimbe Primary School, completing 8th grade and was then accepted to secondary school. Due to severe famine in 2001-2002, his family lacked funds to pay $80 in school fees and William was forced to drop out in his freshman year....more

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10 Common Core Essentials: Nonfiction: Selections from New and Classic Books for the English Language Arts Standards for Middle and High School

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“I try, and I made it!” — 10 people liked it

“I went to sleep dreaming of Malawi, and all the things made possible when your dreams are powered by your heart.” — 6 people liked it

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