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I really like William, and I love his ingenuity. What still bothers me about reading African memoirs is all the violent and intimidating machismo of most African men. As William struggles in his childhood with his male role models all displaying various degrees of physical intimidation, it's remarkable to see how William soldiers on in his intellectual pursuits. Also, you will find on William's goodreads page a 20 second video promoting his book. I think it's interesting he tells his American au
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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
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I picked up this book numerous times at the library, but always put it back on the shelf--probably because of the yellow jacket, a prejudice which I have never understood about myself. But after reading a glowing review, I checked it out. And I'm glad that I did. What an inspiring read. William Kamkwamba was born and raised in Malawi in a small village. Forced to leave school at age 14 because his parents could no longer afford his tuition, he continues to try to find books which he can read and
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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
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Dec 13, 2009
Sandy
marked it as to-read
Dec 11, 2011
Rodney Ulyate
marked it as to-read
Apr 05, 2012
Alissa
marked it as to-read
Feb 21, 2013
Marieke
rated it
it was amazing
Shelves:
great-african-reads-book-club,
tour-d-afrique,
africa,
2013,
non-fiction,
memoir,
e-book,
kindle
Jul 26, 2014
Andy
is currently reading it
May 31, 2018
Carol
marked it as to-read
May 18, 2020
Jeff Thomas
marked it as to-read
