Creating Currents of Electricity and Hope - Boy Who Harnessed the Wind

I'll be honest, the book starts off rather slowly. William tells of his childhood in Africa that ranges from the death of an uncle to the famine that struck his land. Once the book picks up, basically when he begins to actually build the windmill, the back story makes a lot more sense. In the end, it is quite difficult to not be enamored with what this young man manages to accomplish with limited resources. Overall, it is a very good read. If you are looking for an inspiring story then this is one you should read!

Enthralled the entire time - not only is the innovation and science in spite of his (seemingly) limited opportunity fascinating, but the other stories- about his family, his culture, and his history- are funny, charming, and highly entertaining.

the story is interesting but the writing is only fair. would be a better read if story moved along more crisply and was more focused. got bored with the profusion of detail that did not seem particularly germane to the story line.

The title, as in many books, is a little misleading. I was expecting to get right into a story of the mechanics of a complicated wind- mill system developed by a young man. I stayed with the book, however, on the lesson to always read at least the first 100 pages of a book before you decide not to complete reading it. I am glad I did. The story got better and better to where I could not put the book down. The writing was very good, although it did not sound in the voice of Kamkwamba, rather the voice of Mealer. However, it was very easy to read, and a great story, I would recommend this book to anybody - fiction and non-fiction readers.

Seriously...my 14 year old could barely get through this book. It was required reading for 9th grade. I tried to read the first chapter and could barely get past 6 pages. I know the story is heartwarming but the writing is boring...

I've read much about Africa and visited twice. The stereotypes are just not true and this book represents that very well. With proper education and support, there's every likelihood that countries in sub-Saharan Africa can and will succeed.

Plus, the book was a joy to read.

This is an inspiring story of an exceptional young man's journey to help his family and fellow villagers. Not only did I enjoy the story, I appreciated learning more about the culture in Malawi, for example their belief in magic, unusual food choices, family relationships, etc. I also enjoyed hearing about the people who helped William receive the recognition he deserved and achieve his goals. Great book!

Our book club highly recommends this book to those who are looking for a great read on African life in Malawi. It is an inspirational story of a young man who survives a life of threatened and real famine, a lack of the most simple needs of daily living and a desire to be educated. His windmill made of junk not only provided light for his humble home, but opened a door to life as he had never seen before. Great for young readers also.

This book tells a great story. His life is so different than that of ours that is difficult to imagine how one boy could have the incentive and perseverance that he showed. There is a good lesson in this book...

This was a required reading of mine. It is hundreds of pages of a man patting himself on the back for breaking out of poverty and teaching himself about physics. Don't get me wrong, that is an impressive thing to do. But I can only listen to a guy compliment himself for so many pages. Overall it was interesting but the book should have been a short story, about 50 pages long.

Read it yourself, share it with your significant other, hand it to any moody kid over 8 who thinks life sucks! Say "insurmountable odds" and you barely encompass the challenges this 14 year old in the middle of a famine faces as he tries to change his beloved, poverty stricken village for the better.
This true story is about hope and inspiration in a world the average American can't wrap his mind around. William Kamkwamba is an endearing African teenager, who speaks simply and honestly, with the drive and persistence of a real hero.

The story of William Kwakwambe is a story of initiative and goal setting for all to find the inspiration of mind over circumstance. Following his journey through famine and life challenges determined to defeat him is heartwrenching and inspiring, tearful in the joy of success in what he achieved from the scraps of his country and the power of a dream and the books that guided his vision. What a satisfying and beautiful read - I want to share it everywhere with everyone. I want to instill its message of determination to make those dreams happen, whatever the obstacles to children everywhere, especially here in Africa.

Took a while to get into it and some parts would be more interesting to people handy with making things and tools; but I still was amazed at what the boy in the story could accomplish. All basically on his own.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Its a quick read, but a truly unforgettable one. It was truly inspiring to read the story of a boy who didn't try to find excuses in the situation which he was born into, but rather used it as motivation to do something big. Great book!

This book is so much more than a story about a boys significant struggle with the wind.  This story opened my eyes to the tremendous challenges the people of Malawi face every day to survive.  As a product of farming in Texas, I have seen hard times but nothing on the scale faced by Mr. Kamkwamba , his family friends  and countrymen.  For this enlightenment I am truly grateful.

I didn't purchase this book through the store. I bought it at my local library. I am using this book as a read aloud with my daughter (9yo). I had read the reviews on the store prior to reading the book with my daughter. Needless to say, I was SHOCKED that in chapter 2 reading aloud, there was mention of prostitution, exploding testicles, and gonorrhea. The worst I read in the the store reviews were how graphic the famine parts were. I would want someone to mention prostitution, exploding testicles, and gonorrhea in a review for a book that has been highly suggested for children regardless of age. After chapter 2, I was hoping that was the end of that. WRONG, it comes up again in chapter 13. I actually had to stop reading in the middle of chapter 13. I will have to pre-read chapter 14 and 15. I think this information is critical for those who are just buying the book and handing it over to their child for public school required reading or in my case using it for a homeschool read aloud.

William Kamkwamba has an amazing story of perseverance, brilliant innovation, and overcoming the odds. This should be a story about William's character. Sadly, it's more about conditions in Africa and how the international community SOMETIMES picks a winner to lift up and commend.

This book does William Kamkwamba a disservice. "The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind" makes this young man's story ... well, almost an afterthought.

To begin the book, Bryan Mealer treats the reader to 156 pages of the situation on the ground. Drought, famine, witchcraft, cholera, unimaginable suffering, poverty, governmental incompetence. This takes up more than half the book, and other than providing the motivation for William's inventiveness, it seems to be merely a way to showcase Bryan Mealer's descriptive talents. Got it, Mr. Mealer -- you're doing a great job as a writer. Tell me about WILLIAM.

When the book finally begins to describe the principles of electricity and wind power that William discovered through extensive reading (in a foreign language, from library books) and trial-and-error, the story becomes gripping. What William did, and how his invention transformed his life, is awe-inspiring. William never became resentful of his circumstances or depressed because of overwhelming odds. Day by day, he searched the junkyard, and he had lucky breaks that led to his providing electric lights for his room, his house, and his village.

William Kamkwamba had an ultimate goal of using wind to power an irrigation pump, so his family could make two harvests a year instead of one. But before we get to read that part of the story (which would have been interesting), we have to read about the story of William being discovered by the media. Suddenly, blessings begin to flow to him -- schooling, equipment, solar panels, help, attention, speaking gigs. Outside sponsorship and international aid smooths his way to greatness. There's plenty of information on William's benefactors -- again... that doesn't seem like it should be the important part of the story.

All in all, there's only about 100 pages of the story of HOW William did what he did -- the good part.

The writing style is good, but the book is not very satisfying on the science or the central figure.

I didn't really know what to expect when I purchased this book for my Kindle, although I will admit that I noticed the high marks (5 stars) from the other reviewers. So I decided to give it a try and see what the hype was about.

For the first 10% of the book (Kindle doesn't have page numbers) I really was regretting the purchase. The pages were filled with stories of William (main character) as a young boy and the various predicaments he found himself in. The stories told of magic and witchcraft that caused all kinds of terrible things to happen and the overall direction of the book seemed to bounce back and forth from story or idea to another story or idea. I found myself thinking that these stories were so farfetched, how is the remainder of the book going to integrate these magical tales. At that point, I wasn't looking forward to reading more of the book. Nevertheless I persevered and was happily rewarded.

As William grows older (relatively speaking), the story - rather than witchcraft and magic - turns to real life events (famine and hardship) which actually brings you closer to William and his family. Not that many of us can relate to devastating famine where it wipes out entire populations, but it does help us understand what William had to deal with during such a trying time. Some touching moments are created in these pages and definitely rewards for turning the pages.

Once William begins his journey of harnessing the wind, for me, this was the most interesting part of the book. It truly was fascinating to me to not only learn how some of the things we take for granted (like electricity) can play such an integral role in communities that are essentially third world countries but also how one would go about constructing things with no money. The inspiration and true reward which William finally receives for his hard work does make you want to stand up and feel proud - it's definitely a feel good moment to say the least.

It was funny, as I was reading the first 10% of the book, I was going to give this review one star. Then as I continued to read on, I planned on raising it to two stars and when I finished, it was three stars. And while I agree that it could be given a true five star rating, portions of the book just seemed so distracting to me that it actually took away from the reading. Again, this is a truly inspirational story and that alone is a five star rating but fold in much of the remaining passages and it loses some of it's luster - hence the three stars.

Overall though, should you decide to pick up a copy, just know that if you're bored in the first pages, it will get better.

I've looked at a library copy of the book I sent for for my stepdaughter and it looks like I very good book. However, the copy I ordered from the seller still has not arrived and they assure me there is nothing they can do about it, without a tracking number. It is out of their hands, after having shipped it on July 9th. It is infuriating to be at the effect of the postal service to get a book I ordered in a timely manner.

This is one of those reviews for which not having a half-star option bothers me. This is better than a 3-star book (which is okay), but it is not at the 4-star level (which for me means excellent).

So, this is a memoir by a young man from Malawi who, as a teenager, built a windmill – with only a book to guide him and using materials he was able to scrounge locally – to bring electricity to his home. William Kamkwamba is born one of several children in a farming family in rural Malawi, grows up without electricity or running water, and endures more than his share of hardship as a boy, including a severe famine and having to drop out of school (which is a real hardship for a smart and ambitious kid who loves science) due to his family’s inability to pay the fees. But he perseveres and ultimately gains international recognition and support.

All that makes a great story, and ultimately a triumphant one, though readers shouldn’t expect a feel-good book from start to finish – the section on the famine is long and detailed. But it is a quick and easy read. In fact, the matter-of-fact writing style is perhaps too simple; it is unclear to me why there is a separate young-adult version of this book, when this is about as YA as a memoir can get. It is also most definitely written for an American audience: for instance, by explaining Malawian holidays in terms of American ones. But, I suppose the co-author’s job was making the story accessible, and in its content it feels true to the way a technologically-minded boy views the world. There is a lot of discussion of Kamkwamba’s projects (though again, written in a very accessible way) and much less insight into the people around him, only a few of whom get much notice.

But I don’t want to criticize this book too harshly for not being a literary memoir, when it isn’t meant to be. It is meant to be the story of a talented kid who achieves his dreams in the face of incredible odds, and in that sense it’s a success.

How does a 14-year old high school dropout in a small famine-stricken country in south eastern Africa build a windmill? William Kamkwamba tells how he did in The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, a memoir of a young man who wanted to ensure a better life for his family by using ideas inspired by science books and his own innovation to build them.

Kamkwamba’s memoir starts at the beginning, giving a brief history of his parents and grandparents as well as the cultural background of not only his local village but of his native Malawi itself. He then relates the adventures, and misadventures, of his earlier childhood in the relatively stable time before the 2001-02 famine that struck his country. Next comes the hard times of the famine and the struggle his family endured to survive it, but what also forced him to drop out of school. Yet all of this is important in understanding how Kamkwamba was able to construct the windmill that would change his life forever because he explains how not only he, but his family and friends would reuse material to create toys, or hunting traps, or repair other machines.

A little over halfway through the book Kamkwamba begins recounting how he got the idea to build the windmill and his motivation behind it. The ingenuity of his reuse of materials found from junkyards to random materials he could all over his village to engineer his first windmill is fascinating, but given the earlier examples from his childhood the reader understands how Kamkwamba was able to use everything he found for the purpose he wanted. But Kamkwamba does not neglect the contributions of his friends and members of his family that helped and supported him throughout his building, even while some in his village though him a madman.

Only in the last 30 pages of the book describes Kamkwamba experience from local curiosity to giving a presentation at a TED conference to eventually writing this book along with Bryan Mealer. Both Kamkwamba and Mealer knew that the why and how of building the windmill was the central point of this entire book and that while all the fame that Kamkwamba has gained is interesting, it only happened because of the windmill. The book is Kamkwamba’s, but he would be the first to acknowledge that English is his second language and Mealer’s contribution was to ensure that this book was very readable without losing Kamkwamba’s voice.

If I was forced to write a review of this book in ten words or less, I would only needed three: “Just read this”. This book is of a young man who survived trying times that potentially put a limit on his expectations for life and the future, but he found a way to expand not only his own horizons but that of his family and village with an idea and hard work. So just read this book.

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, by William and Kamkwamba, is an inspirationally uplifting book. It starts in Williams’s impoverished village of Masitala in Mali. When very everyone you know is poor and everyone in your village is poor, you do not realize how bad your life is.
William is in secondary school when a horrendous drought hits the whole country. His description of the drought and it’s affect on everyone is horrifying especially from our point of view. Because of the drought his father is unable to make the $80 payment for the school year. William is shattered and highly embarrassed to have been thrown out of school. He starts hanging out at the local library, which is really just barely able to be called a library. Here he finds books on science. One of them, a science text book, describes how to make a windmill that can generate electricity. With determination, good friends and a junk yard, he embarks on the journey that would lead him to actually build a windmill.
From this start, William goes on and by a quirk of fate, his working becomes discovered. The inspiring journey takes his so much further than he ever knew. You have to read this story to really appreciate just what this young man did. The journey is amazing, read it.

This was required reading for my incoming freshman. It was a painful story to get through. Though I can appreciate what William managed to do, the story is hard to relate to and was difficult to hold my and my 15 yr olds attention.

The background of this book put the inventiveness of the young people into perspective. William
Kamkwamba's quest for solutions to his 'problems' was quite an odyssey. His persistance, in the
face of unbelieveable odds is admirable. (And that is an understatement!)

When his family could no longer afford to pay his school fees, Malawian teenager, William Kamkwamba, began checking books out from the library in an effort to stay caught up for when he could once again return to school. One of those books helped him figure out how to build a windmill to produce electricity. The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind is his story. I enjoyed it a whole lot. It’s amazing what a person can do if they set their mind to it. The story is told is a very engaging way and it reads pretty fast. I highly recommend this book to teens and up.

Now here is an inspiring story. A young boy called William (born 1987), living in Malawi saw first hand the devastating effects of the famines that hit during his childhood. He was too poor to go to school so he read the books in the town's library. A series of science and engineering books had been donated from America. He studied there and learned about windmills, something he had never seen in Malawi.
He decided to build a windmill by his house so his family could have electricity and power a water-pump so that in the future their crops would not fail. The villagers around him thought he was crazy or practising witchcraft, opposing at every turn. But this is why this story is inspiring above all else. William had a dream, he worked towards it undeterred by his circumstances or by the negative response of his community. He knew he could do it, so he did.
There were no 'proper' parts for him to build it with, so he scavenged around, looking for metal parts, bulbs, wiring etc in the local dump and old cars left out to rust. He made his components out of junk left lying about the village. I would love children to read this book and be inspired by what William achieved. His family was the first to have electricity, he figured out a way to make a plug so all those in the village could charge their cellphones.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f0/William_Kamkwambas_old_windmill.jpg

Through a passing reporter's interest William became famous in Africa, attended the TED conference and has now travelled around the world inspiring other children to work on innovation enterprise.

An inspirational true story, narrated by a young Malawian man from a poor rural background. He tells of his life-long interest in science - early efforts involve fixing radios and bicycle dynamos.
But then a combination of corrupt government and drought lead to a national famine. Kamkwamba's descriptions of his young friends and his beloved dog wasting away are heartbreaking. Meanwhile his family are on meager rations, and he's had to quit school, unable to pay the fees.
With time on his hands, and aided only by a science book, he decides to try and build a windmill... 'One day windmills would be our shield against hunger.' But with only scrap metal and components he's crafted out of everyday items, it's a challenging undertaking...
As a totally non-scientific female, I have to say that the sections where the author describes his handmade circuit breaker or the ins and outs of step up transformers were way beyond me (although he writes in simple English.) But even in the midst of advanced physics, the reader is ever aware this book is set in Africa:
'The type of rectifier I needed looked like a tiny D-cell battery on a long metal skewer and reminded me of the smoked mice that young boys sell on the roadside as snacks.'
An enjoyable read which draws the reader into a feeling of real liking for William and his friends.

I first read this with my middle school nephew and was moved by the struggles faced by people during famine and by William’s indomitable determination to create his windmill. This book awoke in me a new compassion for those who aren’t blessed with the abundance I often take for granted.

Each time I read this book or read to younger children, I learn more about Africa and the value of providing scholarships to encourage entrepreneurship to build sustainable communities and countries.

When drought and famine forced 14-year-old Kamkwamba to drop out of school, he was determined to continue his education by reading in the library. It was there that he found books on science and engineering and began to dream of aiding his stricken village in Malawi.

This picture book biography for older readers is based on the New York Times best selling adult book by the same name.
Kamkwamba's writing is an elegant account of how he imagined, designed, and built a windmill out of discarded materials from local scrap yards, inspired a community, and set himself on the path to future success as a student at Dartmouth where he graduated in 2014.

This is a book about a young Malawian man who built his own electricity-generating windmill out of odds and ends that he found in scrap heaps and junk yards. Though the title of the book correctly suggests that the narrative will focus upon this remarkable achievement, the book is much richer than that – including details of William Kamkwamba’s childhood and teenage years. I found this background – which included Malawian folk-stories, and descriptions of Malawian culture – to be compelling in its own right…and also essential, because it enables the reader to understand just how unlikely the windmill construction was. William was poor, could not afford formal education, and barely survived a famine – yet in spite of these obstacles (and more), he managed to teach himself the basic physics of electricity and magnetism and to build his machine.

Most of the book is fantastic. However, it takes an abrupt turn for the worse after William is “discovered”. At that point we are treated to a couple of chapters in which he is transferred from one school to another, attends a TED talk, and visits the United States. Though these adventures are transiently interesting, and though I am (of course) happy that William is no longer poor, these are also the chapters in which he is no longer “in his element”. The magic of his country, of his ingenuity – of his *voice* – vanishes from the pages, and we are left with trite descriptions of how amazed William was by Western lifestyle, coupled with numerous snippets in which he feels compelled to essentially “thank the sponsors”. There was probably no other way to end the book – this is, after all, non-fiction, and these things happened to William – but it was a little sad, nonetheless. I hope William fulfills the hopes of his promising childhood and turns his remarkable ingenuity into a positive force in Malawi.

I remember searching out this wonderful hope-filled and poignant book some months after being moved to tears by African (Malawian) teenager, William Kamkwamba, during his five minute TED talk on ted.com.

The modest tome goes down as by far the best book I read in 2010, mainly because it provided me with overwhelming encouragement to never quit pursuing what I believe I should be doing, and also because I have had the experience of living and being schooled in the First-World / Third-World interface of Southern Africa for nineteen years. There I witnessed drought, destitution and extreme poverty first-hand on a regular basis. Consequently I could easily visualize the landscape and feel the sort of deprivation that Kamkwamba describes. It takes a special sort of passion and determination to pursue one's educational dreams against the challenges that this young man has faced and overcome.

William's determination to find a way to educate himself, in spite of the financial hardship and slow starvation that drought imposes on his family (forcing him to drop out of school and embark upon a pathway of discovery and self-education), impel him to build an electricity generating windmill out of scrap from a nearby junkyard. By generating enough power to light his room in his impoverished family's primitive home, the boy (just a teenager) is able to read long into the hours of the night. He educates himself ever more about the principles of electricity, using books borrowed from his district library. With his own ingenuity and the assistance of his best friend, he experiments (not without some serious risks) until he manages to cobble together a sustainable system to power up lights throughout his entire household and even charges the cellphone batteries of local villagers, resulting in his windmill and family's home becoming a tourist attraction for villagers, local farmers and the talk of the town and districts far and wide. His extraordinary achievement and ideas for sustainable energy sources soon come to the attention of local government, which encourages him to demonstrate his invention at a science fair. Duly, various bloggers from science publications and news interests are interviewing him. He subsequently comes to the attention of the Malawian Government and the T.E.D. community, leading to international fame, and scholarships to an Ivy League education in environmental sciences and engineering at Dartmouth College in the United States. Most recently, (Dec 2013), William has been nominated by Time Magazine as one of the top 30 people under 30 who are changing the world.

This young inventor, by pursuing his yearning to educate himself in his area of passion, has not merely found a way to deliver his family from poverty, (a significant achievement in itself), but also a way by which he will, ultimately, be in a position to improve the conditions in his country and our world through his inspiration and innovation. His book serves as a testament to the power of perseverance and is resoundingly inspiring and heart-warming.

This book has been rightfully praised to heck and back and needs no additional laurels from me. I'd like to note, however, the aspect of "The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind" that sets it apart from other inspirational tales: how level-headedly unsentimental it is. I don't mean that it's not moving - I mean that it's far more instructive and informative a personal account than the "spreading currents of electricity and hope" boilerplate the beyond-trite cover blurb promises. The publicist should be fired for insisting on selling such a unique and meaty story as a vapidly platitudinous one.)

Most of the book is an account of the life circumstances in Malawi that spurred William Kamkwamba to create his windmill, through which Kamkwamba's simple, uneditorialized relay of the facts provides vivid insight into a number of social problems. We see the high costs of making money a barrier to education as Kamkwamba's thrown out of school when his famine-impoverished family can't pay tuition. Kamkwamba squirming in his seat every morning, hoping that _this_ won't be the day he's thrown out for nonpayment, is the kind of material that's heartbreaking without embellishment. We see how Malawi's unstable electrical grid keeps farmers in poverty, as Kamkwamba's father is denied access to more efficient harvesting methods at a time when crop output means not only income but life and survival itself. We _certainly_ get a close-up look at the damage corrupt governments can wreak upon their people when the president visits the village on what's supposed to be a photo op and the local chief dares to complain that his people need grain and silos instead of resource-hogging government-office renovations. The devastation is also illustrated in the book's middle section on Malawi's famine, a catastrophe we learn stems more from corrupt supply distribution and funds misappropriation than from weather. The material sounds grim, and it is, but Kamkwamba's family keeps finding ways to survive; the narrative's remarkable in how it avoids being oppressive (despite having every right to be so) yet doesn't sugarcoat matters. Kamkwamba's persistence and family & community ties helped him to pull through, yes, and there's always the light of that windmill at the end of the tunnel, but it's plain that such was the direness of the situation that those advantages may well have not been enough, and indeed weren't for many of his neighbors.

"Harnessed the Wind"'s a social-science treasure trove - but that undersells how funny it is, with vignettes like Kamkwamba's account of "the night my father fought twelve men and won" or how Kamkwamba's friends, viewing U.S. films through the lens of traditional Malawi religious practices, conclude that Schwarzenegger & Stallone must've been protected by very strong magic indeed, to be shot at by so many enemies and come out completely unscathed. The humor and anecdotes about the people who surround Kamkwamba give the book a slice-of-life side you rarely see in popular science or history tomes.

Later, as Kamkwamba rides high on the success of his windmill and endeavors to add ever more elaborate conveniences to his home, the book becomes a marvel less "Junkyard Wars" than "Quest for Fire" - we watch our narrator recreate the foundations of modern civilization with landfill trash and an old science book any U.S. library would toss for being forty years out of date. Funny, but I learned more about basic electronics from "The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind" than I have in an entire life spent ensconced in them. Makes you think.

(Note: Kamkwamba has collaborated with a Bryan Mealer to pen "Harnessed the Wind" - understandable, as writing a book is difficult enough in one's native tongue, much less a second language. At times, though, the prose seems oddly worded, and while that's not unexpected, given the importance of preserving Kamkwamba's own voice, I wish the book had provided more information on the nature of his and Mealer's collaboration.)

This book was okay. I really wanted to know about him building his windmill and how he got the parts and idea for it. If you're like me and that's what you're looking for, skip ahead to chapter 9, that's where the story of the windmill starts. Everything before that is just him growing up and the hardships his family experienced. I understand that he came from nothing and it was hard for him and his family during that time, but that wasn't why I wanted to read this book.

It's really inspiring how this young man took what we would look at as trash and turned it into technology that brought electricity and clean water to his family and neighbors. That was a great part of the story and I'm glad that they improved the quality of life of his village. It's worth reading, it may even inspire you as well.

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-wide drought and famine, ends up reading one book after another on physics. He and his family struggle to survive on less and less food, and people are desperate for help--so he tries to figure out a way to help his family and his village acquire power and light and security. By watching others, by reading books, by doing a lot of thinking and experimentation on various fragments of technology along with his best friends, William gradually figures out the principles of generating electricity from a windmill, and then scrounges the countryside for various pieces to stick together into a Rube Goldberg-like windmill, constructed of poles and bamboo and rope and a broken bicycle, PVC pipes melted and flattened into blades, and other scraps from a junkyard. Finally the windmill is constructed, and begins turning--and electricity flows into his home and into his life and the lives of his family, giving them the beginnings of a life based on technology.

The thing that got me wasn't so much that he is simply brilliant and creative, but that he is good and giving as well. There is a spirit within him of giving to his community, raising everyone up with hope and accomplishment. This man is transformative to the people he touches.

I do not know the next chapters in his life, but this book is only the beginning for this wonderful journey.

"The wind goes toward the south,
And turns around to the north;
The wind whirls about continually,
And comes again on its circuit."

-- Ecclesiastes 1:6 (NKJV)

Do yourself a favor and be sure to read this book. I am sure it will be the most inspirational book you'll pick up in 2010. You'll redefine what "impossible" means into something not so very daunting after finishing The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, and that's a very fine thing to occur. If only we get to work, we all have greater resources to overcome what seems "impossible" than we dare hope for and realize.

People who grew up in Africa have a world view that's far different than those who grew up in North America or Europe. Poor farmers often live on the knife-edge of starvation, fearful of what evil influences may be unloosed on them. As a result, an African often sees choices differently and more starkly. The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind captures those cultural differences astonishingly well. I intend to recommend this book to those who want to understand how to be of more help to people in East Africa. There's also a hidden hero here, whoever decided to put a library of American technical books into Malawi for people there to use.

William Kamkwamba will be a warm-blooded hero you'll love to cheer for. He's Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry Finn, and Tom Swift all rolled into one, but with a physics book in his hand to provide directions rather than just his natural intelligence and wit. I commend Bryan Mealer for so beautifully capturing the sweetness of William's soul while also expressing the reality of his environment. Even the descriptions of how to make power with a windmill are terrific. I learned a lot about power generation and transmission. Who knew it's all so complicated?

I must admit to being biased towards windmills and their makers. I used them as a metaphor in one of my books for the optimal strategy. If this book had already been written, I would have based that metaphor on William's windmill.

You'll also enjoy the rags-to-riches ending as publicity about William's windmill allows him to receive the kind of recognition and support that permit him now to pursue bigger dreams while gaining a more thorough education. It will be fun to watch him in future years.

"The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind"
by William Kamkwamba
and Bryan Mealer

Book Review by Jay Gilbertson

"Before I discovered the miracles of science, magic ruled the world..." So begins the autobiographical story of how wind changed one boy's world and knocked the socks off his proud parents!

The story is actually three tales all woven together with one of my favorite words--hope. Young William grew up in a village in Malawi (sub-Saharan Africa) where electricity was scarce, maize was the staple food and starvation was never far away. One of the many interesting daily life-of-William-tidbits he shares is that regardless of how very poor his people are there exists a deep personal respect for one another. This honor sustains the community and is what keeps the village functioning and whole in difficult times.

Where in America public education is free to all, in William's village there is basic education--but it comes with a price tag. William does indeed begin school as the maize crop that particular year yielded extra money to pay the $80 tuition (average per capita income per year is $160) but a drought came, as it often did, and he's forced to drop. Yet William isn't one to sit around and mope, off he tromps to the local `library' and it is there that he finds a book that will ultimately change his life: Using Energy.

As a boy, William was intrigued by how things worked. Since electricity for televisions in most parts of Africa didn't exist, most people listened to small, hand-held radios. From Malawian reggae or American rhythm and blues from Radio Two in Blantyre, (a city in Malawi) or Chichewa (Malawian language) gospel choirs and church sermons from Lilongwe (capital of Malawi). He and his cousin began to take these small devices apart in order to learn how they worked. This, in turn, led him to discover the mechanical dynamo. It's the small generator that powers a light for a bike and coupled with a windmill, William literally turns on the lights in his parent's home. This is only the beginning.

Through much trial and error and an endless stockpile of discarded gears and pipes and wires, William built his crude windmill to generate a few precious volts. This discovery sparked an interest in the press who spread the word of his `invention.' The prying news reporter's stories soon swept William into a journey that literally changed his life, his village and...I'm not telling you anything else--you'll have to read it for yourself!

One of the other wonderful concepts that leapt out of William's story is inspiration rich with gratitude. He ends with:

"I hope this story finds its way to our brothers and sisters out there who are trying to elevate themselves and their communities, but who may feel discouraged by their poor situation. I want them to know they're not alone..."

This is one juicy story full of angst and struggle, death and dust and endless heat. It has the power of wind and the magic of a boy called William Kamkwamba. I can't wait for you to meet him.

For more details and some incredible videos of William:
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The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind was the most inspirational book I've picked up in a long time. I've been following the story of William Kamkwamba since I first stumbled across his blog some time ago. He's a truly impressive individual whose hand built electricity-generating windmill has made waves around the world especially among those interested in renewable energy.

I was under the impression that William's book would be geared toward the environmental/renewable energy crowd, but as I got deeper into the story I realized that the message really speaks to anyone who desires to make a difference. In William's words, "If you want to make it, all you have to do is try". From start to finish, I was inspired by William's recounting of his family, his community, his perseverance, and the enthusiasm with which he pursues a better life for his family and his homeland. It's not necessarily a book about renewable energy, but instead it's a book about how vision can transform the world we live in.

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind tells William's story from the famine that inadvertently prompted his dreams of an "electric wind" to the media storm that took him around the world to share his dream with the world. The truly amazing part of this story is its characters and the depth of human emotion portrayed as William works toward a better life for his family. Drifting away from my preconceptions about the book, the story focuses less on the environmental improvements that can come with renewable energy and more on the dramatic quality of life changes it can bring for those living in developing countries.

I think William has one of the most important messages that we can hear. His story shows how we must follow our visions in spite of the obstacles that lay in our path. There is also a clear message about learning how the changes needed for our families and our communities come through a cycle of giving. This book demonstrates that we are both the solutions to our problems as well as the limitations that prevent those solutions from being manifested.

I found the insightful perspective through which William saw the world to be both entertaining and informative. William and co-author do a beautiful job in explaining the culture of Malawi (William's homeland) while showing both the tragedies and pleasure of life there. I also enjoyed learning about the mechanics of wind power production and its potential beyond a renewable energy source. This is a must read for anyone who finds themselves in a rut toward achieving their dreams of a better world or anyone who simply wants to be inspired by what can be done to change life for the better armed with nothing more than passion.

William Kamkwamba is a young boy from Malawi who has just been through one of the country's worst famines and survived. His father is a farmer who has trouble acquiring fertiliser for the barren land on which he works as the corrupt government makes such materials hard to get. As a result William's father has a hard time making a living so much so that he can't afford to pay to have his son educated. Yes, even basic education costs $80, what a great government.

Unperturbed, William sets out to educate himself. His interests lie in science and engineering and the manuals he finds at the local trading centre inspire him to try his hand at a windmill. The materials for this aren't forthcoming as there isn't much wood around due to heavy deforestation, so he makes do with junk found lying around. After repeated failures, he is able to generate electricity from a bicycle dynamo attached to the top of the windmill. He powers his house's lightbulbs and 2 radios. He is 14 years old.

The bulk of this book is devoted to the history of Malawi. The famine takes up a large number of pages and we learn a lot about the country's socio-economic plight. The prevalence of superstition in the minds of the majority of the population is contrasted with William's inspiring message of education despite money, of knowledge triumphing over ignorance.

It's such an inspired story that you could easily imagine forming the basis of a Booker prize winning novel, made all the more powerful for being true. William's dreams take him further forward from the windmill to building a structure to provide irrigation for his father's fields. Remember Cervantes' novel Don Quixote where windmills represent delusion? Here they are turned around to represent hope.

A couple of other points to make - whoever supplied the engineering manuals that inspired William in the first place ought to be congratulated and sends a fine message of charity and the spread of ideas through books into the world (and everyone thinks the book is dying. Ha!). Also, having seen William give a talk at TED a couple of years ago, it's clear that his English is limited so Bryan Mealer's rendering of William's voice in clear and captivating words should definitely be acknowledged.

It's a powerful book of quiet hope amidst massive suffering and speaks to the resourcefulness of human beings. "I try, and I made it" says William. A true call of hope in our troubled times.

"The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind" is a book chronicling the life of William Kamkwamba, a 14-year-old boy from Malawi, Africa who through strong will and determination, creates a windmill that changes the lives of his family, village and beyond.

I'm not going to waste your time with a deeper synopsis since you can get that straight from the store. Here's why I thought this book was incredible, in no particular order:

>> Great storytelling: I felt like a little kid listening to an elder's story, filled with mystery and magic, and everyday stories of growing up. The tone of the writing was story-teller, matter-of-fact, and I appreciated the honesty conveyed in this manner.

>> Inside view of the recent history of Malawi: Intense descriptions of famine, poverty and government corruption. Yes, you hear about this sort of stuff on the news, but this first-hand account is very real and exacerbating because it's so real. It's one thing to see Angelina Jolie visiting a struggling nation in Africa, but a whole 'nutha eye-opening experience to read about it this way.

>> Evokes gratefulness: To be reminded that horrific famine and basic life struggles exist NOW reminds you to be thankful for things we take for granted every day -- a meal, electricity, running water...

>> Evokes hope: A great story about a young boy who never gives up hope. A great lesson to be learned by our youth, and heck, even us grown-ups can use some hope.

>> This is NOW: Once you reach the end of the book, you are in the present time (the guts of the book are set in the mid 2000s). The story continues as you read this very review! Kamkwamba, now 22, and just having discovered the internet a few years ago, blogs and is on Twitter! You can follow him, interact with him... it seems amazing when you think about it.

Here's my mini-caveat: If you're looking for a book that *KABOOM* puts you in the throes of a boy's scientific discovery and windmill-makin', you will be frustrated. You instead are dropped into daily Malawian life, childhood stories, and details of the great famine that plagued Malawi in the last decade. Windmill-building is only a gleam in the eye for many pages--you'll only get little sprinkles of it here and there. If you want to start in the thick of it, skip to a later chapter, or skip this title altogether. It would be a shame if you did, though. There's a reason why it was on the NYT best sellers list, and the store's top 10 books of 2009. Simply moving.

William Kamkwamba grows up in a village in rural Malawi where people still believe in the power of magic and access to learning is very limited. William's father is a farmer, entirely dependent on the seasonal rains to grow the crops to feed his family. When a devastating drought and famine strike Malawi in 2002 the crops fail and the family barely scrapes together enough food to survive until the next planting season, getting by on one meal a day of corn husks and pumpkin leaves. There is no money to send William to school, and he must drop out. To fill his time William begins frequenting a nearby library, really just a few shelves of random donated books from other countries. One of the books he finds there, however, changes William's life. The book Using Energy sparks William's mind and excites his imagination about the amazing world of electricity. He uses this knowledge to plan a windmill to generate electricity for his home which is only lit by kerosene lanterns, and to pump water from a well to irrigate his father's fields so the family will not have to face the prospect of a killing famine ever again. Having no money and few resources, William scrounges parts for his windmill from rusted bicycles, broken tractors, and other abandoned machinery he finds in and around his village. He has very few tools and must improvise every step of the way. The villagers mock William, but he pays them no mind as his windmill project comes together and slowly climbs towards the sky.

This inspiring true story left me marveling about what may be accomplished through little more than determination, inventiveness, and a hard-working, curious mind. Highly Recommended.

Sample Line: "On the weekends, I walked the old city and learned about its buildings, many of them built by hand more than four hundred years ago without the kind of modern technology we have today. Seeing this, it gave me even more confidence that we Africans can develop our continent if we just put our minds and abundant resources together and stop waiting on others to do it for us."

Have you ever cried with joy? If not, then here's your chance. This tale, a true story of determination, conquering adversity and ingenuity lost and found in a hostile landscape, will make you cheer as you follow a young African boy who sets out to do the impossible. It's a story that well embodies the concept of "the audacity of hope" with no strings attached.

William Kamkwamba was born in Malawi, son of a hard-hitting, heavy-drinking father who converted to Christianity after nearly killing a man in a barroom brawl. After the conversion, "the Pope," as he was called by his buddies, became an exemplary, hardworking farmer who taught his children that cultural myths were important but that cultural superstitions would hold them back. His ability to laugh at superstition and prevail in the depths of adversity doubtlessly inspired his son, who grew to be a boy with a vision and an accompanying ability to get things done. And William's father respected that.

Forced to drop out of secondary school due to lack of money, William found comfort in a few books that he was able to check out from the library and read again and again. The most important of those was an American textbook called USING ENERGY, a book that he has said to have changed his life. Before he found the book, William was fascinated by principles of electronics and physics. But with the book, he was able to envision how to build a windmill to generate electricity, knowing that this simple intervention could change the lives and fortunes of his family. With electricity to pump water and light their home, the family would prosper and move out of the survivalist existence of the typical Malawian farmer. This was William's dream.

Having plenty of spare time, the boy began to forage in junkyards, filling his room with hunks of metal and skeins of wire that would one day be useful in fashioning his self-designed wind generator. After seeing William light a tiny light bulb with a bicycle, a local chief helped to bankroll this quirky project. With the funding, William was able to gather the pieces that he needed, and soon, the windmill, created out of junk, began to operate. The wind cooperated, and the whole house was electrified with tiny light bulbs. But tiny or not, it was more incandescence than most of the neighbors had.

Word spread about William's invention. He was asked by a local high school to help the children there make a windmill. Word spread further, this time to the media, and, suddenly, William's house had the attention of radio and newspaper people throughout the country. As can be imagined, William's genius caught the eye of people who had the power to help him. He wound up at a conference of TED (Technology Entertainment Design) in Arusha, where his simple device and his simple presentation earned a standing ovation. One of the first people to discover William's windmill and laud his abilities, TED blogger Erik Hersman, offered this wisdom: "Where the world sees trash, Africa recycles. Where the world sees junk, Africa sees rebirth."

The fascinating saga of THE BOY WHO HARNESSED THE WIND is held together with the assistance of writer Bryan Mealer, AP staff correspondent and author of ALL THINGS MUST FIGHT TO LIVE: Stories of War and Deliverance in Congo. Despite his contribution, the flavor is pure African. William's relationships with his family, his understanding of tribal customs, and his viewpoint on contrasts between home and the highly industrialized Western world are described as he encountered them, in his terms. He talks about the entrepreneurial zeal of Malawian businesspeople who set up tables on the dusty streets and, using a single drop cord plugged in at a kiosk behind them, recharge cell phones and laptops and provide phone minutes and computer time...for a price. One can only imagine that people who create these services and those who utilize them would progress rapidly if they had full-time direct use of such devices as we Americans do.

At the time of this book's completion, William was attending the African Leadership School in Johannesburg, South Africa. His ever increasing knowledge of electricity and his willing funders had allowed him to vastly improve life back home for his family, with real mattresses, proper mosquito netting and malaria preventatives, full-scale lighting and a drilled well.

You can be sure the world is not through hearing about William Kamkwamba. Lucky world.

--- Reviewed by Barbara Bamberger Scott

William Kamkwamba grew up on a farm in Malawi during a time when drought and famine brought poverty, starvation, and death to many people across his homeland. Unable to attend school because his family cannot afford the tuition fees, he instead uses time between tending crops and other farm chores to scour a junkyard for parts to build a windmill - a feat that soon captures the attention of the world. The most important part of this story, though, isn't just young William's grit and determination in building the windmill. Rather, it's his remarkable resilience in surviving the drought and subsequent Malawian famine that swept through the countryside.

In addition, the book offers a window into the life and culture of subsistence farmers in southeast Africa. Ganyu workers struggle to find work for their survival. Science duels with superstition. Farm subsidy policies become matters of life and death.

This is an important read for anyone who wants to learn about how people in other parts of the world build their lives and provide for their families. It's also well-written and fun to read, thinks in large part to Bryan Mealer's assistance in bringing William Kamkwamba's story to life. (He does not speak English well, as evidenced in his TED talk.)

He was a brilliant young man living in the throes of intense poverty in the small landlocked African nation of Malawi. When William Kamkwamba was 14 he was forced to drop out of school. His family was simply too poor to afford the fees needed to attend secondary school in his country. Young William was heartbroken at this turn of events. He longed for an education but understood the dire financial circumstances his family was in. But William Kamkwamba was a resourceful sort and would find another way to educate himself. "The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind: Creating Currents of Electricity of Hope" tells the amazing story of William Kankwamba in his own words. This is truly a remarkable story that you will never forget.

It is incredibly difficult to grasp just how poor most people in Malawi are. For example, in the town where William Kamkwamba grew up there was no electricity and no running water. William's mother had to spend two hours each day carrying water home from the public well. Since there was no electricity people just went to bed most nights when darkness fell. The threat of famine was everpresent in Malawi and AIDs and malaria were widespread and deadly. Unable to attend school, William helped his father plant and tend the maize and tobacco that would hopefully sustain the family for another year. Farming was just about the only way that most families in Malawi could make a living. But everyone was painfully aware that drought was ever a looming threat. When the rains stopped starvation and disease among the people became even more rampant. It seems that life had always been this way in Malawi.

One day William and his best friend Gilbert went to the local library looking for books. Being ever fascinated by how things worked 14 year old William picked out three titles that piqued his curiosity. The books he selected were "Explaining Physics", "Using Energy" and "Intergrated Science". What he learned from studying these volumes would change his life forever. In one of these books William spotted a photograph of a windmill. He read about how a windmill worked and somehow he immediately understood. He thought to himself "I can make one of those" and despite numerous obstacles from that point on he would not be deterred. William determined that building a windmill would solve two pressing problems for his family. First, the windmill would provide lighting for their home. In addition, he figured out that a windmill could also rotate a pump for water and irrigation. He thought to himself "If we hooked it up to our shallow well at home, a water pump could allow us to harvest twice a year. A windmill and a pump could also provide my family with a year-round garden where my mother could grow things like tomatoes, Irish potatoes, Cabbage, mustards and soybeans, both to eat and sell in the market." "The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind" chronicles the incredible story of how William pieced together his rudimentary windmill from scraps of metals, trash and anything else he could find. He was teased and tormented by those who thought him a fool. But he persisted and in the end he succeeded beyond his wildest dreams. His story would become a worldwide sensation.

There are a lot of lessons to be learned in "The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind" Creating Currents of Electricity and Hope". For one thing I am certainly more aware of just how fortunate we in the developed world are. For the people of Malawi and places like it life is a struggle each and every day. William certainly taught me a great deal about determination and perserverance. Finally, it was never clearer to me just how important education is. "The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind" is a surprisingly well-written book that I would recommend to anyone but most especially to those of high school and college age. Very highly recommended!

Other reviewers have more than adequately described this fascinating, first-person account of how William Kamkwamba, a fourteen year-old boy in a famine-plagued region of Southeastern Africa saved his family from hunger, vastly improved the lives of his neighbors and secured for himself an education by assembling a bespoke windmill and electrical generator out of part's scavenged from his family's subsistence farm. I would like to draw two important lessons from this excellent autobiographical account. First, in a lesson America once drew from the like of the fourteen-year old inventor of television, Philo Farnsworth, and accounts of Tom Swift and Thomas Edison, that self-taught and self made technology can often be more potent then all the efforts of silver-tongued politicians and their vast expenditures in solving the problems of human society. Secondly, as Mr. Kamkwanba himself notes on page 152 of this engaging memoir, he was not among the more distinguished students in conventional academic measures, but that his talents were only recognized in the results of his personal library study, tinkering and imagination in the benefits they drew for his family and nation.

These lessons, that technology designed and built by self-motivated individuals can best solve human problems, and that the most talented among our population cannot be selected by only conventional measures are vital not only for Malawi, not only for Africa and the developing world but should be carried as object lessons for societal improvement in the US and in economically advanced nations through the coming decades

--Ira Laefsky

These days, the word "hero" is casually thrown around in many conversations, with famous people simply doing the things they are supposed to do getting labeled 'heroes.' Sure the rock star who stops taking drugs is to be congratulated, and the high school football team should be cheered on to victory, but neither meet the true definition of a hero. However, William Kamkwamba is a hero in every sense of the word.

We meet William in Malawi, a smart boy who had to drop out of school because his parents (father, really) didn't have the money to keep him there. Undaunted, William starts spending time at his local library. There he finds a basic Physics textbook. He decides that he would like to make the windmill shown in the textbook, but is hampered by obstacles that would send a lesser boy running. William cannot read English, the language of the textbook, for one. No problem - he simply uses the graphs to teach him. (they must have been a lot better graphs than my old physics textbook!) Then there is the problem of materials. William is a born tinkerer and engineer and he manages to cobble together local (free) materials to build his windmill. PVC pipe, a bicycle inner tube and bit of wire all fit into William's vision of a working windmill, and despite the opinion that it couldn't work, it worked very well indeed. William's windmill powered a water pump, saving village women countless hours toting water; charged cell phones (!) and lit a precious few lightbulbs in his village. His windmill, despite the detractors who scoff at anything they didn't think of themselves, did everything that William wanted it to do.

Eventually, the wider world found out. Visiting scientists wrote about the windmill in a blog, and soon there were people making the trek to his village (accessible only by bus) to see the windmill for themselves. With the speed of the Internet, William is suddenly speaking about African issues, visiting the United States and making the talk show circuit.

What I found amazing about this book was William's attitude. He saw an opportunity to solve a problem and just fixed the problem. No foreign advisors, ambassadors, scientists or any Western minds or Western money was necessary to electrify a village. William accomplished his goal in a short time. The US has diplomats, scientists and foreign aid workers in Africa for half a century, and has invested billions of dollars to help African people become self-sufficient. William helped his village to become self-sufficient without a dollar of aid, or a minute of helf from the so-called experts. Pretty cool, huh?

The book is divided into several portions: One is mainly a history of Malawi and it's neighbors to get the reader acclimated with the area and the challenges William faced. The second section is "the Story of William," more or less and the last is "William meets the Outside World." I found the last part to be the least interesting, but I think it was necessary to understand the rest of the book.

Self-sufficient, well-spoken and decent are the things I thought of when I saw William on television. He truly is a man for our time, and a hero to his people. Read the book. You'll be glad you did.

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind (Hardcover)
by William Kamkwamba
another book from the secret stash of books near the principals office, this is another one that teaches kids to keep working on their ideas and how they can make the world better if they explore, if they try, if they do what they can to help themselves, and others. a great inspiration of a real story.

What does an African schoolboy do if his family is reduced to abject poverty by a severe drought and he is kicked out of school because his parents cannot afford to pay school fees? In this book, William Kamkwamba describes how he went to the library to study books to try to keep up with his classmates, and in those books he found some ideas that could be used to improve his family's situation.

A school textbook called "Explaining Physics" showed how a rotating power source could be used to generate electricity to power a light globe, and another called "Using Energy" contained pictures of windmills. William decided to build a windmill to provide electrical power to his house and eventually hopefully to power a pump that would enable his family to irrigate their crops even if there was a drought. Using parts gathered from a scrapyard and some remarkable ingenuity, he made a windmill which worked, much to the surprise of the people in his village.

I found the book to be very moving in the way it described the privations and gradual starvation brought on by the drought and the government's failure to respond, and then the resourcefulness of William in understanding and building advanced technology that no-one in his village had ever seen, merely on the basis of photographs and drawings in school text books. It is a great story, well told and intriguing to the very end. I highly recommend it.

I don't think I have ever read any book, of any genre, whether fact or fiction, whose protagonist was am compelling and likable as this one. William Kamkwamba was born in Malawi, one of the least developed places and densely populated places on earth (according to wikipedia at any rate). The story opens by describing William's early life growing up in a small town in Malawi. It is a fascinating look at a life which is completely alien to a westerner like me. William's family, like most Malawians, are subsistence farmers. They have no electricity or running water, the government is largely corrupt, and they have to deal with problems like wild animals, poor rainfall, and malaria. While in his early teens a drought hits the country. The chapters where the authors describe the slow spiral from hunger to hopelessness to desperation and death are the most poignant in the book, and show a side of the world I have thankfully sheltered from in the west.

Despite being a school dropout (his family couldn't afford tuition), William is inspired by science textbooks he borrowed from the library to try and built a windmill. However, he has no money and no equipment. Going through trash heaps and junkyards he manages to turn the most improbable of materials into a functioning windmill - old shoes, cracked PVC pipe, clothes line, etc. He slowly works on additions - things like circuit breakers and switches - to improve the windmill, and the authors are nice enough to include how he made everything in the book. As an engineer, I was fascinated by his ingenuity in managing to turn trash into treasure. By the end you can't help but want to cheer for William - born into an impoverished country, battered by external forces, with no formal high school education, he has poured all his energy and heart into managing to create something that we westerners take for granted every day.

This is a wonderful, inspiring, well-written story about William Kamkwamba was born in Malawi, a country where magic ruled and modern science was mystery.

The book spends alot of time on William's background (which, in itself, is interesting). He lives in a dirt poor country, with a corrupt government. William's family are farmers, On good years, the family grows enough food to sustain them throughout the year. Often there is some left, which can be sold at market. This money is what pays for school. William is determined to get his education and not become a farmer. In 2003, a drought struck, causing a famine, in which many people died. William had to drop out of school but still remained determined to learn. He walked to the library & discovered a book on windmills, then a book on energy. He taught himself how to build and power a windmill.

His windmill was made of scrap materials found around the village. By the time he was done, he had lights in his home, this was a first. Until now, the family would use kerosine lamps, which emitted alot of smoke.

After hearing stories about a boy with a windmill, a reporter came to the village. His story then began to circulate over the internet. He now has sponsers, a scholarship to college & speaking tours. His house now has a well, for water, which his family shares with the village & is professionally wired & lighted.

As someone interested in African history, culture, and politics I could not help but enthusiastically delve into William Kamkwamba's "The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind." After reading it I feel as if it is very emblematic of Sub-Saharan Africa. There is so much poverty, corruption, lack of opportunity, etc. but there is also an incredible untapped potential in this area of the world. Kamkwamba's story is about as compelling as they come, and demonstrates how crucial it is that we as a species learn to better encourage the inventiveness of people, no matter how young or old.

The part of the book about building the windmill was engrossing enough, but the first half of the book delivers a vivid portrait of life in Malawi that sets the stage for the remarkable second half of the book. This book, despite being over 300 pages long, is a fast read due to the heavy amount of dialogue and the skill of the writer. It is definitely a real page turner. The cool thing is that when you read "The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind," you not only get an incredibly inspiring story, but you also get a meaningful look into the culture of Malawi. It is impressive how well this book not only entertains at a high level, but also educates the reader at a high level.

"The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind" is a great tale of ingenuity and hope. It is a true testament to the human spirit that resides in everyone on the planet. It is a well-written book that can be enjoyed by both teenagers and adults.

This is a wonderful story, told by the protagonist himself, the boy who harnessed the wind.

Africa is a mystery to me, as it must be to many other Westerners. Most of what I've read was written by outsiders, mostly Westerners who view Africa through Western eyes. This book is an outstanding exception.

William Kamkwamba grew up in Malawi, suffering with the rest of that country through famine and poverty. He's inquisitive, intelligent, highly motivated, and doesn't get discouraged. He's a lot like the successful people we all know, except he doesn't have any of the opportunities that we enjoy; most notably, his village doesn't have electricity. As the title implies, William succeeds in building a windmill, and bringing the benefits of electricity and wind power to his village.

I was continually amazed by the what William had to do to accomplish his goal. He scoured science books written in English to learn the basic principles, looking up unfamiliar words one by one. He spent months salvaging parts like motors, wire, nuts and bolts from a junkyard, and dug PVC pipes out of the ground and heated the plastic to manufacture windmill blades.

My only complaint is that more than half the book goes by before the windmill project begins. Although the story of William's childhood is interesting and inspirational, I grew a bit impatient to read the story promised by the title. I would like to rate the book 4.5 stars for that reason, but this is not a serious enough complaint to deduct a full star. Highly recommended to all, especially middle and high school librarians and teachers for use in the classroom.

The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer is a true story about a boy who built a windmill in Malawi. William's dream was to provide electricity to his family's home and also to pump water to irrigate the farm. Irrigating the farm would mean his family would be able to plant the farms twice, bring in two harvests, and never go hungry again.

Malawi is a very poor country that had just gone through a famine when William began to build his windmill from pieces of scrap and junk he found in a local junkyard. He was inspired by books he read from a little library in the village that had been supplied with cast-off books from the UK and the United States.

William details his life from early childhood through his late teens. He talks about his deeply rooted belief in witchcraft, his discovery of science, and gift for repairing and inventing things. He talks about watching his cousin squander a profitable business after inheriting it from his uncle, his struggles to gain admission to a good secondary school, living through the famine, and his enthusiasm in learning about electricity and building his windmill.

William's book is an extremely interesting account of life in Malawi and a fast reader. I enjoyed the parts about his belief in witchcraft and how that affected his life. I began to understand how deeply rooted these beliefs really area. William goes into detail of how he put together various pieces of his windmill and at points these descriptions did drag a bit - probably due to my lack of interest in building electrical gadgets. Overall, this is an exceptional account of an exceptional young man who was determined to create "electric wind" for his family and bring them out of poverty, educate his sisters, and never go hungry again.

This book is a "must read" for anyone interested in Malawi, Africa, or inventions.

THE BOY WHO HARNESSED THE WIND is definitely one of the most incredibly inspiring memoirs I have ever read. It tells the fascinating story of William Kamkwamba, a poor farmer's son in Malawi, Africa, a country struggling with widespread poverty. During a deadly 2002 drought and subsequent famine, life became a daily struggle to simply survive starvation. After discovering a diagram of a windmill in an old library textbook, 14-year-old William armed with a vision and admirable determination, builds his own windmill using discarded scraps. William's ingenious invention generates electricity for his home, which makes a profound difference in the lives of his family and the entire village. Repeatedly, I was impressed by his ability to persevere in spite of overwhelming obstacles. Eventually, his remarkable achievement receives worldwide acclamation.

William (with co-writer Bryan Mealer) provides a compelling glimpse of the difficulties of his life that gave me a true sense of the harsh reality of poverty. He enlightened me with his knowledge of Malawi's culture and politics. As a science lover, I was enthralled by the steps William took in constructing his windmill! I thoroughly enjoyed this awe-inspiring book. It demonstrates how a dream, hope and dedication can change lives forever. I strongly recommend it for everyone!

This book, and the man who wrote it, are amazing.
It starts off a little slow, with stories of magic from William's childhood, but just read on. It gets really good!

We learn about the horrible famine that affects Malawi, and the extreme poverty that these villages must endure. It's so eye-opening, because it is all so recent (early 2000's). In such a modern age, there are still people living so primitively. It's interesting to see how a famine can occur, and how the government turned it's back on it's own people. And so sad- such silly things are so hyped in the American news. I don't remember this Malawian famine ever being in our news, and when I tried to look up articles about it, there was barely anything! And yet so many people suffered!

Anyways, the boy and narrator, William, is so smart. When he talks about taking apart radios just to see how they worked, it reminded me of Richard Feynman, the brilliant physicist, who also took apart radios in his childhood! There are so many things we use on a daily basis and we have no idea how they work, and no interest in finding out. The most interesting part of the book is how William uses the text books from the library to figure out how to make a windmill (there are no step-by-step instructions for building a windmill, he just figures it out), and then improvises using the trash and scraps around the village. This boy is so smart, brave, and motivated. He is also a wonderful writer. It was so inspiring to read this, and I really recommend it!

What an amazing story! I can't remember the last time I read such a gripping work of non-fiction, if ever; I tore through this book yesterday afternoon/evening despite having other things that I should have been doing, and came away thoroughly satisfied. Even before I read the book, I was hooked by the premise: a Malawian boy, living in the midst of poverty and famine and with limited educational opportunities, reads about windmills in a library book and decides that electricity is the solution to his family's problems. So, using various scraps of metal and relying heavily on the book's diagrams, he goes ahead and builds his windmill. And it works.

It was so nice to read a positive book about Africa for a change. The problems aren't hidden; there's plenty of talk about famine in particular, including good explanations of the reasons behind it, but the overall outlook is optimistic. I also liked book's the writing style (it was co-written with a former journalist), found Kamkwamba easy to relate to, and generally enjoyed the whole reading experience. I have a feeling this will end up in my Top 5 for the year.

This is so much more than the story of clever engineering by an unschooled villager. They authors sketch an entire culture in vivid detail, so that the accomplishments of the young man are put in context. What kept striking me over and over as I read was how alien this culture was to my American experience. Of course growing up I had heard of "starving children in Africa" but this book was written by one of those formerly starving children--and the story was heart-wrenching! I was utterly engrossed by the story, utterly fascinated one moment and repulsed in the next, as I read heart-breaking stories of starvation, "witch doctors," and abject poverty. I take for granted free public education, but this story shows the tragedy of a child who wants to be educated but can't afford the fees.

I think it is entirely appropriate as a YA level book. There are some references to prostitutes, AIDS and other STDs, and some concerns about castration. However there is nothing particularly graphic and I would feel comfortable giving it to any child old enough to read such a long book! (Probably 5th grade at the youngest).

Basically this is a great book that I highly recommend and will be keeping on my shelf for rereading!

the store's editors have selected William Kamkwamba's inspiring tale as one the Top 10 selections of 2009...and rightfully so. Though I'd known of Kamkwamba's story through my membership in TED's online site, Bryan Mealer's book vastly exceeded my expectations. Most notably, through Mealer's skilled direction, Kamkwamba recounts the depth of the desperation that led to the inspiration and drive for his amazing windmill - notably, the grinding, near-catastrophic famine that visited Kamkwamba's Malawi in the early part of this decade. What also comes alive through Mealer's guidance is the persistence of William's efforts to educate himself, despite his family's inability to finance his continued schooling. When all the family's money and efforts had to go towards basic sustenance, William turned to the library and immersed himself into such books as "Understanding Physics." The sheer intelligence and diligence that lead from that book to William's creation in the most dire of settings and circumstances - no Hollywood tale can do justice for what he has pulled off. Mealer's tale does justice to William's tremendous feat of perseverance and triumph.

Even if you don't usually read nonfiction or memoirs, I still think that you'll love this book for the writing, the story, and because of William Kamkwamba.

William tells the story of his childhood in the small agricultural village in Malawi. From the the general bias towards magic and superstition over science, the crippling impact of the drought, and the isolation and difficulties that William, his village, and Malawi, the obstacles that they face are huge and clear. Reading the book, I first thought that my experiences in the "Third World" helped me understand the William's life from the superstition to the the impact of the drought and the opportunistic price gouging during the famine. But that interpretation fails to give enough credit to William and his book. The power of his story and the clarity of the writing surely guarantee that The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind will speak to people regardless of their experience and their home country. I cannot recommend this book more! I look forward to more news from William Kamkwamba and to meeting him during his book tour stop in NYC.

Publisher: William Morrow (September 29, 2009), 288 pages.
Courtesy of the Harper Collins and the author.

William's story of faith, perseverence and his quest to follow his dreams is amazing. At the young age of 14, his trials have been more difficult than many of us will face our whole lives. After famine in his village of Malawi Africa forces him to drop out of school, he still hungers for knowledge. He begins studying at the library. There he comes across a book on electricity generated by windmills and decides to build one hiimself. He dreams of producing enough power to light his whole village and irrigate his father's farm. He later tells others, "I try and I made it" a motto for all of us to live by. His hope for an educated, independent Africa is truly inspiring. "Africans bend what little they have to their will every day. Using creativity, they overcome Africa's challenges. Where the world sees trash, Africa recycles. Where the world sees junk, Africa sees rebirth."

This is one of the best (if not the absolute best) books I've ever read. It's an autobiography about a boy struggling to live in a poverty-stricken area of Africa. It is such a poignant story. The hardships in the story brought tears to my eyes while the triumphs (even the small ones) made me laugh out loud.

I heard about this book over a year ago on The Daily Show and from TED videos.

After learning about this book, I bought it (digitally) right away but I hadn't got around to reading it until now. It starts a little slow, talking about the cultural superstitions about magic but this adds an important aspect to the main theme of the story. Once I got to the 'meat' of the story, I couldn't put it down.

The aphorism that most aptly summarizes the plot is "Knowledge is power", but that doesn't do it justice. The author, William Kamkwamba, realizes that with a little bit of knowledge, he can prevent the deaths of family members and friends. Not only can he save them, he can help them thrive. The main benefit is to power a water pump to irrigate crops which would allow the planting of crops twice a year instead of the usual once. It would also help during droughts. He started to develop the idea during the catastrophic drought of 2001. He (and everyone around him) was starving to death. One day when he went out to work in the fields, he mentioned to his friend that his father had reduced the number of meals they could have each day to two - "Isn't that awful?", he asked his friend. His friend responded that his family had already been doing that for weeks. Shortly after that, they had to cut down to one meal per day.

William cannot afford to go to Secondary School (it's not free) and he doesn't have much academic training. One day, he sees a Dynamo, which attaches to a bicycle wheel to power a light. It fascinates him. He begins to wonder how it works. He experiments with it and often goes to the library to read about Electricity and Magnetism. That's when he gets the idea to build a windmill. His family and friends think he's gone mad, collecting junk and preoccupying himself with things they don't understand. He quickly builds a tiny prototype and when it successfully powers his transistor radio, he nearly jumps out of his skin. He then begins to build a bigger, more functional windmill.

The people from the village laugh and ridicule him. When the day comes for William to assemble the finished windmill, many of the villagers gather around to laugh at him. When he finishes assembling it, and it powers a light bulb, everyone is in awe. His dream comes true.

Word gets out and the people from TED contact him. They ask him if he'd share his story in front of others. He gladly agrees, even though he has no idea what TED is, or even what a 'conference' is. When he finally gets to TED, and is on stage giving his story, he expects all the intelligent, educated and cultured people to laugh at him. When the audience erupts in applause, he can't believe it. When asked how he built the windmill, he briefly goes through his story and says, "I try, and I made it." The audience erupts in exuberant applause and the motto of that TED conference becomes, "I try, and I made it."

The main points that make this such a brilliant story to me are:
- tenacity and hard work pays off
- scientific, logical thinking defeats superstitious, magical thinking and can help turn a poor nation into a successful one
- a passion for learning is often necessary for life (literally)

It's a great story and I strongly recommend it. If there were more William Kamkwambas in the world, it would be a better place.

This book is first of all the story of William Kamkwamba of Malawi. William is raised in a Christian home in a community of subsistent farmers where superstition and witchcraft hold sway. In this environment, William betters his life and that of his family by tenaciously pursuing innovation. On another level, it is the story of how education can so effectively battle superstition, ignorance and poverty. Finally this is the story of a nation and how William's benefactors are having an impact on his entire village, starting a chain of economic and quality of life improvements and equipping leaders which may ultimately affect his nation and even his continent.

Rarely do I read a book that I would recommend as heartily as this one. William's story is moving, but it is also challenging. William has done so much with so little. This book encourages the reader to do more with their abundant resources. William's story also shines a spotlight on how productive community development iniatives can be.

This book is a very interesting and encouraging story for young readers. It provides insight into what life is like in Africa and is a good story of the indomitable human spirit. This will encourage young readers to keep after their dreams in spite of any obstacles. The creativity of man cannot be thwarted.

One part of the book that I particularly enjoyed was the story about William and his friend who developed a business repairing transistor radios. They salvaged discarded batteries and sorted through them to find the ones that still had a little power left to run their radios. They swapped components from one radio to another to get a working radio. They rigged up a homemade soldering iron to solder components in place.

With curiosity, persistence, and some drive, this book shows that a lack of "things" is not enough to stop anyone for achieving their dreams!

Disclosure - I'm married to an engineer. So I've often heard discussions about the best schools for engineers, the best countries to find an engineer in, the difference between a 'born' engineer and a person who goes into engineering as a career choice. The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind is firmly in the 'born' camp. There is no doubt that William Kamkwamba has a scientific mind. Few boys could teach themselves the concepts of electrical engineering and then hold complete faith in their ability to execute a practical application of those concepts. This story is being sold as inspiring, because of the dream William has and his determination to realize it. What spoke to me even more was the strength of his family. Without his cousin, his friends, and most importantly his father, William would not have been able to pursue his dream. It is the ability of his family to support each other despite (to a western reader) unimaginable hardship that allows William's inborn talents to emerge. The early story of William's family and his childhood (Who knew they play "America & Vietnam" in Africa?) carry you through the involved descriptions of his creations.

I dropped one star from my review because some of those descriptions will drag on for the non-science minded. An explanation of the differences between AC and DC currents is never going to hold my interest, no matter how compelling the speaker. Additionally, some of the 'voice' shifts from what seems to be William's authentic speech to an older 'voice' someone with a bit more distance and perspective than William likely has at his current age. That is the pitfall of a joint collaboration where only one member of the team serves as narrator. The ending feels a bit rushed - you want to know more about William's experiences as he was brought into the community of scientists. (There's a pitfall in making him appear less accomplished than he is, of making the story into one about a country mouse in the city, so I do understand why this part of his tale is so short. ) That you have the desire to stay with William through the entire tale, from his birth through all the descriptions of his construction process to the end speaks both to the power of the writer and William Kamkwamba.

Well worth the time, and an excellent holiday gift book.

As many reviewers have pointed out, this book tells the amazing story of William Kamkwamba. Though ostensibly about his improbable building of a windmill that brings electricity, it is about much more. The majority of the book focuses on William's life in Malawi and the drought and famine that devastates the people and the region. The book provides the reader with a first-hand account of life in Malawi. The book opens with things going fairly well for William, his family, and friends. His life of course is vastly different than our western lives, but he is content. Then, the drought and famine strike and things begin to fall apart for William and the people around him. As things grow worse in William's family, he is no longer able to go to school, which devastates William who values education above all else. Determined to keep up with the kids in school, he goes to a small library and begins studying. While there he discovers a book on physics that will change his life. It is this book that leads to the amazing windmill that gets him invited to TED and made him a worldwide sensation as an example of hope and opportunity to millions.

While the book title and all the press around it focuses on the windmill and the results, that portion of the story really only comes to light in the last third to quarter of the book. The vast majority focuses on his life and the conditions of Malawi that lead to the development of the windmill. While I found these portions fascinating, I did keep wondering when we were going to get to the windmill of the title and the story that was mentioned on the back of the book. Further, I would have liked a lot more detail about William's life and experiences after the windmill began to stir up international interest. So, I guess my only real criticism is that the story seemed to start with an amazing amount of fascinating detail, which seemed to fade away once we got to the portion of the story (and beyond) that inspired the book in the first place. I did read an advance copy of the book and hope that some of these issues were addressed in the final edit. However, even if they were not, I will say these are minor concerns and this is an inspirational story that I would highly recommend to anyone looking for an informative and uplifting read.

Every once in a while, I read a book and then start attempting to force my friends read it, too. This is one of those books. Kamkwamba grew up in Malawi as the child of subsistence farmers. A famine struck, and Kamkwamba's family couldn't continue sending him to school. So - mostly to stave off boredom - he got books from a local "library," which consisted of two shelves of books, mostly textbooks donated from America. He taught himself the basic concepts of electricity and built a windmill for his family. The book is well-written and gives Kamkwamba's story honestly, helping us to understand the difficult childhood he must have had, which makes his achievements that much more impressive.

This book is being billed as an upbeat story about a 14 year old boy building a windmill to bring electricity to his village.
That is only part of the truth. This book is also a detailed story about growing up in a culture very different from our own
and a hard, unflinching look at the devastating effects of famine and parasitic government on that culture. Mr. Kamkwamba
gives us a portrait of time, place, people that is reminiscent of "The Grapes of Wrath", quietly stunning in its beauty, chilling
in its depiction of the worst in human nature and breathtakingly uplifting in its depiction of the mind and spirit triumphing
over adversity.
Its also an interesting and compelling cautionary tale, a book to be reckoned with!
Highly recommended!

In simple straightforward language this author tells the story of his life and amazing achievements in a fast moving way. I found it necessary to mentally step aside from the narrative frequently so that I could think about and understand the magnitude of what he just described in such a straightforward manner.

There are a bunch of great reviews of this book already, but coming late to the party, I'll summarize the awesomeness of this book for me:

1) In a world where too many hopeful stories seem 90% manufactured, this came across as incredibly real.

2) The perseverance, ingenuity, and raw brain sweat involved are an inspiration. It definitely makes me think twice about limiting what I can and can't achieve by the obvious resources around me, and makes me want to keep digging to make things happen.

3) The community aspects of it all were also very touching for me, given the huge impact his work had not only on his own family but the community around them.

Necessity is the mother of invention.

Famine is not something many of us experience nor die from in many parts of the world but it still exists. To read about it from a personal perspective is enlightening. The book is full of a wealth of culture and education that I feel fortunate to have had the opportunity to read. It is also a story of perseverance and persistence and the ability of man to take advantage of self guided learning despite poverty and the lack of formal education. Trial, error, and determination to continue to improve oneself and ones environment are the blessings the author encourages us to respect.

Whatever life hands you, make the best of it regardless of what might discourage you from trying. Beautiful read.

William Kamkwamba grew up in Malawi, where magic still ruled and modern science was a mystery. But he dreamed of using a windmill to provide something that most people in Malawi didn't have- running water and electricity. This is the story of his childhood and adolescence spent in Malawi. One thing that I enjoyed about the book was the combining of magic and science. Kamkwamba describes the magical and cultural beliefs of the people, as well as the new scientific technology that was just arriving in Malawi. Also, he describes a terrible famine that occurred in 2001 with great, heartbreaking detail.

*You can read all of my reviews at my blog, [...]*

Before the boy harvested the wind he endured incredible hardships. such as surviving starvation. Moreover, the stories of his vapid meals are gut wrenching, almost incredulously. In addition, his parents did not have the money to keep him in school, so he had to drop out. Yet, hardships are usually ephemeral, as William Kamkwamba learned. More importantly, he did not want his education to ebb. So, he began studying physics- harnessing the wind- by going to the library and reading about "The Wind." This story is too good to tell you any more; I think my agurement will be more cogent after you read a copy of the book.

I loved this book!

First of all, listening to him recount the process of coming to understand electricity on his own was great, as was the whole story of finding parts and assembling the windmill, connecting his lights, etc. This alone would have made a good read. The second great part was the sequence about growing up in a remote agricultural village, and then his view of having lived through a devastating famine as a kid. Finally when he suddenly gets noticed by the news media, and gets invited to a TED talk in Tanzania, we get to hear about his first eye-opening experience with the outside world: Flash drives, commercial air travel, and the internet, a whole world of knowledge he never knew about, when before he was limited to what he could find in his local library.

Best book I've read in a while. I strongly recommend it.

A remarkable story about a boy / young man whose curiosity, ingenuity, and resourcefulness lead him to build a wind powered electric generator (as well as other devices) against seemingly insurmountable odds. Like another reviewer, I found the first part of the book unengaging, but in retrospect, I realize that that part of the book provides important context for understanding the barriers Kamkwamba faced in his endeavors. For all you librarians out there - this story is a great example of how 'libraries change lives'.

P.S. If you like this book, you may also be interested Marcin Jakubowski's TED talk.

When I face something hard, I try my best to overcome the hardship but sometimes I give up after failing countless of times. I give up not knowing how close I am of accomplishing the goal and not knowing what I could achieve. But one time in water polo, my shooting form was off by a mile. So, everyday after swim practice I shot and shot the ball hundreds of times until one day, one of my shots felt so good and fresh I felt like is accomplished something big.
Williams inspirational works of building a windmill made me realize how anything is possible. William is in a lower social class and also has less education than I do, but yet he just looks at a magazine of a windmill and miraculously builds one. When William describes how he builds a windmill his main response was, "I try, and I made it!" If William built a windmill out of scrap parts, determination, and pictures then it reminds me of what I'm capable of. But, one quote that I really liked from William is," If you want to make it, all you have to do is try." William says this so casually because he has a sense of right to say this since he built a windmill with a small amount of materials and determination. Most people, including me, would probably quit after attempting to do something that hard, but William was the exact opposite.
I realized that people with more money can be more lazy than people without money. William built a windmill after a disastrous famine of which I know I wouldn't be able to do. William shows us readers an undying determination which teaches you to try your best without giving up.
This is a book I could not put down because of Williams determination which amazed me throughout the whole story.

The book tells William Kamkwamba's inspiring story of living in rural Malawi. Young William, with odds strongly stacked against him, decided to build a windmill in order to improve his family's standard of living. At times while reading the book, I had teary eyes. In the end, I was all smile.

We can use the way William went about building his contraption as a metaphor for how to go about doing good work on this planet. Yes, doing good work and getting to success is hard but consider William's odds of succeeding with his project and compare them with yours. No contest.

"If you want to make it, all you have to do is try," wrote William.

A must read.

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 the 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 constraints. If you can't express pity for these people, you aren't human.

The details of farming, magic (yes, magic as in wizardry and curses), and everything else surrounding William's life is dragged out a bit more than necessary, but it makes the "feel good" aspect that much more appreciated in the end. Having virtually no schooling or money, William toyed with the intricacies of electricity and ultimately constructed a working windmill. Most adults with a college education probably couldn't pull this off! This boy had nothing and now he has worldwide recognition, not to mention electricity in his home.

I had seen a video on Youtube about a young boy who was able to play football blind even if his piers had thought it was literally impossible. Many felt that it was to dangerous or just straight up absurd for him to play a full contact sport without sight. After reading THE BOY WHO HARNESSED THE WIND by WILLIAM KAMKWAMBA I now realize that anything is possible no matter what others say, all that is needed is the heart and determination.

I personally haven't been put into a situation in which I was so determined to do something, but after reading The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind I could connect or feel how determination can push people through times that were thought to be impossible to overcome. William's desire and determination is tested when hunger strikes his family. However, nothing would prevent William's ability to learn and the construction of his very own windmill. Eventually, he looses the support of his mother as she questions his actions as being productive, "Even children do more sensible things... Go help your father in the fields (160)." A normal person would listen to their parents even if they didn't see the bigger picture.

Kamkwamba made it obvious how determination allows one to get through any resistance. He didn't need others to support him, he only needed a strong mindset and the persistence. The special thing is that the message that Kamkwamba gets across can pertain to anyone.

I found this book to be a roller coaster ride of emotions and was unable to stop reading. It pulled me into a vortex of happiness.

This is the first book that I have felt compelled to review on the store. I hope that other people find this review helpful and pick up the book.

At first I was skeptical of the 5 out of 5 star rating on the store. After reading the book, I understand. I also joined the ranks and gave a five star review.

This book grabbed me right away. Every second I could spare, I spent reading. I could not wait to find out what William was up to. More than a good story, I learned a lot about Malawi culture and the politics. I studied African History in college, so I cannot say that I was very surprised by the actions of the government. However, the vampires threw me threw a loop. For a few days, I felt a part of the village. I could sense the frustration in the building process. I rooted for William's success as if it were my own.

As a teacher, I will certainly share this heartwarming story with my students.

A gripping book that really makes you appreciate what you have. Many of us grew up trying to avoid school whenever possible, while young William is so desperate for education his family cannot afford that he tries to sneak into school. Eventually, he turns items others have thrown away into a working windmill.

Inspiring as it is, what I took away from it is how dependent our achievements are on global connections and global supply lines. How many Williams are there, who might be just as brilliant and determined, but have not caught the attention of reporters, or who may not have had even the limited access to books and materials that William had? And while some people have pointed to this book as a solution to peak oil or the way to energy independence, I can't help thinking that if everyone was building windmills, parts would be in short supply. And if the supply lines were cut off somehow, it would not be possible to maintain and build such windmills forever.

It's not a very long book, and still feels a bit padded with things that are unrelated to the main story. Still...well worth a read.

A very inspiring story of a boy (William Kamkwamba) growing up in Malawi in Africa. The book gets a rating of 5 for subject matter but probably sits at a 3 for narration.

Its a first time I have read a book based in the heart of Africa and got a whole new perspective to the cultural life there especially with regards to the influence of "magic" and witchcraft that holds sway over people's minds.

This book is more like a biography of this young man growing up in Africa. Living in a large family and making off their living off the land as farmers is tough as it is. Plus throw in the prevalance of disease, a corrupt government that makes basic necessities of life look like luxuries (read no water, no electricity and of course no sanitation facilities)and also the threat of famine.

William's family and the whole country goes through a period of starvation and that is very moving description. Old men, babies, young men and women all reduced to bones with wandering bands of men looking for food in lieu of work that they provide. Families reduced to eating only one meal a day and parents making sacrifices for their children. One description that I remember is that of the floor of the mill house being swept clean by tongues of men and women hungry and starved (no need for any brooms). Those living priviledged lives in the West should make a note of the luxuries that they live in.

The main focus of the book, anyways, is on Williams and his creative genius in unlocking the power of the wind to make electricity through the combination of a wind mill and a dynamo. He is a very inquisitive guy and picks up knowledge from his observations and a book that he picks up from the local library - - - makes a lot of sense to invest in education/libraries in developing countries. Along with the fact that he is supported by his family although his friends do make fun of him.

It does not come our very forcefully in the book but like many inventors, he would have faced dissappointments and hurdles to overcome. Its very appreciable what this farm boy did with a great passion to learn but having to drop out from school as he did not have the fees to pay (in some ways thats a blessing as he then got the time to work on his invention).

On a larger public policy scale, governments and NGO's should think about how to replicate this culture of innovation that can uplift whole sections of people from the clutches of dire poverty and despair.

Thanks to William and the authors for letting us know about this triumph of the human spirit.

This book shares a very personal story with struggle and circumstances that, despite the odds, are overcome through perseverance and an exceptional hunger for learning. It is a wonderful example of how people can excel beyond what others expect and despite others' lack of faith. But, this boy has also been partly a product of the good nature of those who saw his potential. It is a story that can inspire us to be truly thankful for the seemingly simple things that we enjoy daily (like running water, electricity, and food). It is also a story that should inspire us to reach out to others in need, for that's all it takes sometimes.

This book describes a young man's efforts to build a windmill to generate electricity for his family after a drought and the resultant famine brought the tenuousness of their existance painfully to the fore. Growing up in Malawi, William's life consisted of subsistence farming, trying to get good enough grades to pass exams that would let him further his education, hunting for birds, and tearing apart radios so he could learn to repair them. When he could no longer attend school for lack of tuition money, he spent his time at a local library devouring every book on applied science and electricity they had. By observing pedal powered bicycle lights, and with access to a scrapyard, he experimented with bits and pieces of junk until he finally had a working windmill that powered a single car headlight lamp. That later led to a homemade switch, a circuit breaker, a mobile phone charging station, and a chance at a higher education through the efforts of professors, bloggers, and technological innovators from the United States and elsewhere.

This true story makes me truly grateful for what I have. William's ingenuity in recycling what I would normally think of as useless junk reminds me of the universal attribute that true survivors have to adapt to incredible adversity. An inspiring story that our young people need to read. The poverty in Malawi provides a stark contrast to American wealth; even those in America who consider themselves poor would have to reassess that perception. The environment that William grew up in makes his achievements that much more astounding.

Parents could use this story to discuss the importance of education, the value of hard work, the necessity of environmental balance, the riskiness of subsistence farming to factors such as weather/political subsidies, and persistence in the face of overwhelming odds.

A remarkable non-fiction story of how a young boy with spirit and determination rose above all odds stacked against him in life. William Kamkwamba, growing up in an impoverished African village in the country of Malawi, overcame famine, lack of an education, and disease, to live his dream to build a windmill from scavenged materials, to bring his family electricity for lights in their home and power to pump water from the family well to their field so they would never starve again. Determination, a can-do attitude, hobbling together science books from the community library shelf, curiosity, and having a dream drove him to his goal and landed him a speaking role at the TED conference!! Amazing resilience and the power of hope and dreams. Never give up trying as ideas can lead you to a better place.

and again W-O-W. This book was amazing! I wish i could:
1) have lunch with William Kamkwamba just to shake his hand and thank him for sharing his story and
2) give this book a million star rating. I felt as though I was living right along side of him, he was sad... I was sad, he was hungry... I was hungry, he was determined... i was cheering him on.

I laughed and cried while reading this book, and I continue to get choked up (happy tears) with how much this man has overcome, yet he remains so humble... He creates a windmill to have a light just so he can stay up past dusk and read books... TO LEARN!!

This book is a perfect example that all things are possible with God (which William Kamkwamba mentions a few times)

Just when you start to think that shows like Kardashians are representative of american values, i was so impressed by the support network of people around the globe that found William and helped him progress with his education and inventions. It shows you how much people can achieve when there are good people in the world who take the interest, initiative and effort to help others. It also makes you think of all the achievements and prosperity that never happen due to lack of means and help from a broader community.

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William Kamkwamba, the author of The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind, lives in the village of Wimbe in the Kasungu district of Malawi with his parents and four sisters. In his memoir, William laments that only 2 percent of Malawians have electricity, so it is not rare to go to bed at 7pm. The family depends on maize and tobacco crops, and when their farm fails to provide a substantial income, William is forced to drop out of secondary school. His spare time is spent at the library, reading physics books.

But when the famine of 2002 hits, William has to put his independent studies aside to help his family scrounge for food. With distressing detail, William describes how a combination of ill-fated weather, deforestation, and a neglectful government causes his family to go from eating three full meals a day to eating only seven mouthfuls, and then three. Reading this part of the book from the perspective of an American is plainly sad, and it's a distinct change in tone from William's vivid portrayal of daily village life and folklore.

Most of us will never experience such famine, and most shocking is how swiftly it can overtake an entire population. But William manages to remain somewhat upbeat throughout the crisis and his family persists through this hardship and others, such as malaria and cholera, without losing a single member.

When his famine finally ends, five months later, William returns to his studies determined to make sure his family never suffers again. Captivated with the way electricity works, he begins gathering stray materials with his best friend, Geoffrey. The young boys' friendship is touching and their loyalty to one another -- a true characteristic of boyhood -- is admirable.

From the scrap yard, William collects tractor fans, shock absorbers, wheels, PVC pipes, and an assortment of other oddities, leading the entire village to make fun of his unusual collecting habit. But he soon proves them wrong by constructing a small windmill that is able to power lights and radio.

When the media gets word of William's ingenuity, it's fascinating to read a firsthand account of the young boy being whisked away to the TED conference, seeing the Internet for the first time, and using donors' money to further help his village and return to school.

As he explains, "...It would have to be done little by little, but once complete, it would save my parents the money they normally spent on kerosene, and that was just the beginning. The next machine would pump water for our fields. And I wouldn't stop there. One day, windmills would be our shield against hunger."

William is a hero and his resourcefulness deserves to be recognized. Compensating for the local government's void in empathy, William is able to become wholly self sufficient, sharing entertaining stories and customs along the way. William's compelling and valiant character makes it easy to read in one afternoon what one boy managed to change for an entire existence of people.

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This is the first time I've ever read anything about Malawi in detail. It was very informative. This boy faced so much hardship and disappointment growing up but rather than give up, he kept his imagination alive and developed a plan by using the resources available to him. What an amazingly uplifting story. I wish all young people would read this book. Never give up!

Non-fiction tends to lean towards the feral, this book avoids a lot of this wildness due to the Author's good nature. The first part of the book introduces you to the Author's world, next goes the famine and finally the Author's age of progress. What will absorb you into this story is the Author's refreshing tone, humor, determination, and selflessness. Read this book because even in sub-Sahara Africa there are twinkling stars of hope. Also read Life Is So Good: One Man's Extraordinary Journey through the 20th Century and How he Learned to Read at Age 98.

This is a truly inspirational book and also one of amazement. Thankfully this 14 yo boy was discovered.

The book provides a glimpse into farm life that has seen little change for generations. The view into this life is truly extraordinary, especially for city folk like myself. It makes you want to live a more simple life, but certainly not in the same existence as this boy and his family. It's truly a harsh environment. Anyway, from there you learn the hardships of the boy and his family. The amazing part is how this boy creates a windmill from scraps and uses it to power various devices within his home and village. From there, he is discovered and things really begin to take off.

It's an amazing story and peeks into the life seldom seen or appreciated/respected. The book is an easy read. Highly recommended.

One cannot help but be impressed by the story of William Kamkwamba, who, at the age 14, figured out (with help from just a few library books written in English, a language he was not fluent in) how to build a windmill to power his village.

Because his story is so fascinating, I felt that it took entirely too long for him, in his memoir, to discuss how he came to build his windmill. While William's family and cultural environment are certainly key to understanding his circumstances, there was just too much background information before the meat of the story began. The beginning of the book describes in far too great of detail his father's ability to hold liquor and beat other men in fights to be relevant to William's education and intellect, and similarly discussions about village witchcraft occupy excessively long sections. The obviously personally relevant sections on famine during his childhood were heartbreaking and certainly yielded a much deeper understanding for his motivation to produce energy independence and accessible water for his family and village. Unfortunately, towards the end of the book, he discusses the projects he developed after the windmill, but these take less than one page! I would have loved to have read at least a chapter on how these were developed.

Perhaps because I am interested in developing some of these projects, which may make me an atypical reader, I would have liked more information on how one can learn to think more like he does, and how one would replicate or create similar projects to his.

I salute William for his accomplishments, and I am delighted that he has found a way to share his story with a broader audience. His memoir is a thoroughly inspiring read.

A really interesting book about courage, inventiveness and drive. One of the things it brought home to me is how much we are cheating our kids out of solid educations. The boy in this book is 14, doesn't go to school and can't read English yet he gets electricity for his entire village on an outdated textbook. He's 14! Obviously it is a case of "necessity is the mother of invention" to some extent but it is quite remarkable to realize how much this young man accomplishes. Great book club book. Would be good for YAs, too.

This book was an inspiring story about a youngster growing up in a small village in Malawi, one of the poorest countries in the world. He could have lost a future because of his mediocre grades in primary school, he could have died in an horrific famine, he could have perished in the face of several catatrophes but none of that happens.

The youngster in question is thirsty for knowledge of all kind. On his own, he researches electricity and wind power and constructs a windmill which powers a small flow of electricity and light into his humble shack. This in turn brings him attention and praise from knowledgeable including scientists and inventors and changes his life, and perhaps even his village, considerably. He eventually learns to speak about his invention in important setting and bring knowledge to others about his impoverish and needy nation. While the writing is simple, the story is complex and delightful. This is an excellent read.

This book tells a compelling story of perseverance of a young man in Malawi who builds a windmill out of scrap parts to provide electricity for his family. I was anxious to find out how he did this, but soon realized that his story of survival through famine and difficult economic times was an equally captivating story. The moments of despair are enough to make you cry, but the moments of hope are so uplifting you can't put the book down. The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind is never preachy, but you can't help note the contrast between the world of depravity in Africa, and the world of excess in the West. In his effort to promote progressive thinking in his community about issues such as the environment, AIDS, and technology, it is no wonder so many people have rallied behind William Kamkwamba to help him continue his education. This has become one of my favorite books of the year.

This book gets off to a very slow and laborious start. For the reader, it is a difficult book. Most the book is difficult to read as it seems to go off an frequent tangents. Toward the end, the story collases into a compelling story which is the real focus of the book.

The Bou Who Harnessed the Wind is certaily a worthwhile book as a coming of age story and certainly a biography of the author. In all fairness English is the author's second language. The book does not indicate if the author wrote it in English or if it was translated.

Keeping the original author's intentions versus editing for the benefit of the reader is a delicate balance. That said, there the book would have benefited from a significant edit to focus on the main story. If you can force yourself through the first 2/3 of the book, the compelling story is at the end -- and it's a worthwhile read.

I would not recommend this book for young readers. Two of my children, who are tinkerers themselves, struggled to read the book, but like me found it very aimless in the beginning. If you've looking for a nice casual read, i would not recommend the book. But if you really want a first hand account of a true life struggle, in the not perfect -- but compelling words of a young man who was persistent and later rewarded -- you will enjoy this book.

I loved this book and should be a must read for students in their formative years. The book portrays a young man growing up in extreme poverty who continues to find ways to learn and invent ingenious, practical items helpful fot his family and village. Truly inspirational and motivational for all young people as they live through their formative years.

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind provides a wonderful reminder of how obstacles can sometimes ultimately contribute to success. Giving voice to this personal story, William Kambwamba tells of life growing up in a rural African village where poverty and hunger are such predictable aspects of life that the local language includes a word for "the hungry season." For Western readers who have only viewed African famine from the impersonal vantage point of their television screen, William gives us an opportunity to relate personally to the experience by sharing his thoughts and feelings.

William's story reminds us how important it is for every child to have access to books and to experience an environment that supports exploration and education. Every child has the potential to shine and succeed in ways that we couldn't have imagined, and some will lead their families and perhaps their nations out of poverty and into a sustainable and comfortable way of life.

When William Kamkwamba responded to a disaster in his community, he began down a path of processes so thoroughly traveled that they were put in words and diagrams in the middle of textbook chapters, stuck in page margins, buried in appendixes. Students elsewhere in the world also read those chapters and noticed the diagrams. While these students may have been completing comprehension questions or filling in answer bubbles, William tested his comprehension by trying to generate electricity from objects around him. This is not a story about progressive methods of instruction, nor is it a light-hearted story about a statistical outlier to whom we cannot relate. It is a story about a boy who could not be harnessed by low expectations or the threat of future of struggle.

While aspects at William's schooling may have distracted him from achieving the goal that is the feature of this book, it was after William's family could not afford school fees that he began his experiments with mechanics. However, as his windmill increasingly drew attention, an ominous message was given to him by a local professor - despite the amazing achievement and its dramatic benefits for his local community, the world will not long tolerate an innovator without proper titles and certificates. In his time without access to schooling William had received an education, but he had missed the course credits and exam scores that in many ways kept his classmates ahead of him. In the epilogue, we learn that through the help of donor funding, William has been able to return to schooling that promises to be more challenging and better-suited for his vision. With the added encouragement, perhaps he will be able to continue to direct his education and harness schooling to work for him. May we continue to be inspired by William's contributions, and become less attached to the acronyms added to our names.

Kamkwamba, W. & Mealer, B. The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind. (New York: HarperCollins, 2009). 273 pages

"Within a few meters, I entered the scrap yard and stopped. Behold! Now that I had an actual purpose and a plan, I realized how much bounty lay before me." William Kamkwamba, is an inspiring an innovative young man from Malawi who was driven by a combination of natural curiosity, resilience, optimism, fierce determination, and the dire circumstances of a nation-wide starvation. His autobiography tells of his quest to bring electricity to his home and village with the goal of having light and for bringing irrigation in order to avoid another famine. Through library books he was inspired to build a windmill to create electricity. He used the scraps and garbage around him - bottle caps, old pipes, discarded wire, broken bicycles and wood - and built his windmill by hand. He not only had the physical struggle of famine and the economic challenges of poverty; he also had a limited and interrupted education while surrounded by a culture of superstition and fear. Even so, he opened his mind up to the possibilities of science while being thought of as a crazy person; some of the villagers even threatened William, accusing him of creating a "witch tower" which was causing the drought. He has learned to navigate two parallel worlds.

William's curiosity and drive were inspiring, and at times, humorous. He told of the importance of radios - the only connection to the world outside of the village. He became fascinated with how voice could be transmitted, so he and his cousin began experimenting, "...since we learned everything through experimenting, a great many radios were sacrificed for our knowledge...we learned from our mistakes." Through his story we learn about a different world where resources are not taken for granted. The account of the famine is stark and haunting. William is a great example of the potential within each of us when we have a "purpose and a plan." Read it and weep, laugh and be inspired.

The Exceptional Story of the Boy Who Harnessed the Wind

by Nathaniel Whittemore

categories: africa, The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind

Published September 29, 2009 @ 01:53AM PT

In the early 21st century, Malawi was gripped by one of the worst famines the nation had ever seen. Around the country, crops fell and subsistence farmers were forced to migrate, wandering in search of work and food. As resources dwindled, more and more families were forced to make the desperate decision to pull their children from school to help at home. One of those students who could no longer afford school was William Kamkwamba. Yet as is so often the case, from the tragedy of the famine came an incredible story of a young person whose persistent creativity and indefatigable spirit led to incredible things. This is the exceptional story of the Boy Who Harnessed the Wind.

The Africa of William Kamkwamba's youth was a place still caught between tradition and modernity. As he put it in the first lines of his wonderful new book "The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind," "Before I discovered the miracle of science, magic ruled the world."

The first part of the story is about his world before that discovery. It's a world in which the characters are the friends he got into trouble with, the towering adults who commanded his understanding of the world, the landscapes that form his playground, back yard, and first school. The early part of the story is notable not just for its evocative depiction of African village life, but because it feels so resonant with the experience of growing up anywhere - particularly for young boys for whom every day is a new exploration and a new adventure.

Where William's story departs is as famine strikes in 2001 and 2002. The rains come late, threatening the crops that form the backbone of Malawi's economy and the primary mode of subsistence for most of her citizens. The government is slow to respond, and people are forced to take dramatic measures to scrimp and survive. Commerce grinds to a halt.

For William, the consequence was that food dwindled and his family could no longer afford to pay his school fees, and he was forced to drop out as his classmates go on. By some luck, he found his way to a local USAID funded library, where he discovered a book about electronics. He had already done some rudimentary experimenting, and the book was filled with diagrams became William's constant companion as he spent his days experimenting with circuitry.

As he became more and more adept, William began to focus on building a windmill - a contraption he had seen on the cover of another book. Not able to buy even basic supplies, he trolled around junkyards to find the spare parts he needed to put something together. Enduring teasing and accusations of lunacy, William persisted, finally building a windmill that could power lights - and eventually an irrigation system - in his house.

Before long, his story became known around his region, eventually attracting the attention of blogger Emeka Okafor, who was planning the first ever TED conference to be held in Africa. William spoke at that event, and since then has launched a foundation, begun attending school at the African Leadership Academy in South Africa, and now, writing this book, is working to be an exemplar of the notion that if you try, you can succeed.

I had the privilege to read an advanced copy of the book, and wrote: "Much more than a memoir, this is a snapshot of life as a precocious teenager in contemporary Africa, and an affirmation of the notion that talent, beauty, and brilliance are distributed in equal measure around the world, even if opportunity is not. This is a story that hums with the excitement of an individual who, like the continent where he was raised, is poised for greatness."

The book abounds with themes that resonate deeply: the idea that with hard work and persistence comes triumph; that optimism is not a mental state but a type of action, that from grief and loss can come success; that ultimately, no one has responsibility for your education and success except you. Indeed, these are themes likely to resonate deeply with an American public that loves to see something resembling the "American Dream" in action.

Yet there is something nagging about this story as well. I called this post the "exceptional story" because of the dual meaning of that word. William is an exceptional young man who could teach us all something about taking our destiny into our hands. But he is also exceptional because the happy ending of his story is still so at odds with the reality for so much of the developing world. For every William who succeeds there is a William who is set up to fail by the accident of fate of where they were born, and what that means about the resources they can draw on to succeed and what will stand in their way.

The tremendous injustice that we must grapple with as we read a story like William's is that in this world we do not all start with a blank slate and an equal chance to succeed. We all have a chance to do our best with our lot, but we must not allow ourselves to forget the debt that we owe to luck.

The reason to read William's book is to celebrate the idea that even at great odds, the good can triumph. But it also must be to recognize our opportunities to better pave the way for future William's and make sure that they have the same chance to use their unique talents, whatever they may be, to harness their very own wind.

I really liked this book. I loved that the author didn't just explain what he created, but how he did so not only technically but about his life and family circumstances. A very inspirational and moving story.

William Kamkwamba is a boy from Malawi, a survivor of famine, a good friend to many, a hard-worker, a student, a caretaker of his family, a builder of a windmill, an inventor, a scientist, and a philanthropist. William's story, The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, challenges the conventional notions of teaching and learning. By "typical" standards, William should not have succeeded in school or in his efforts to build a windmill. His father is a farmer in a small, rural village in a country where only two percent of the population has access to electricity and running water. His family cannot afford to send him to secondary school when famine strikes, money runs low, and the family struggles to survive on one small meal a day. But William is not a "typical" boy and his is not a "typical" story. Because of his curiosity, determination, and his generosity, William is able to succeed beyond his wildest dreams. His interest in science begins at an early age when he takes apart radios to see how they work and figures out how to wire discarded batteries to use their remaining charge. When a crippling famine threatens to devastate his family and his country, William perseveres with his education by continuing to read and study even though his family can no longer afford to pay for his secondary school. His perseverance and curiosity aid him in his windmill project. William finds parts from a junk yard and builds his own tools while a skeptical village looks on. After months of hard work, his efforts pay off beyond his expectations. The many ways he gives back to his family and village are truly inspiring. It will be interesting to see what the future holds for William. There is no doubt he will continue to inspire and seek to better his entire continent.

William's story, as told in The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, has several lessons for educators. His story emphasizes to us the importance of fostering curiosity in our students, helping students research and develop ideas based on their interests, and encouraging students to persevere and make the best out of situations of adversity. Part of William's success can be attributed to great "teachers" like Dr. Mchazime, Tom Rielly, and Blessings Chikakula who were willing to go out on a limb for a young boy from Malawi and help him achieve his dreams. This should inspire us as teachers to go beyond our job description as we seek and help the future "Williams" of the world. When we find those special students, we must work hard to not only provide them with excellent learning opportunities, but to offer them our love and support as well. Above all, we must encourage all students to use their knowledge and talents to give back and improve the world in which we live.

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, a memoir by William Kamkwamba, is unique story about a boy who was inspired to make his life, as well as the lives of those around him, better. William's story is unique because he is unique. He was the only person in his village to decide the status quo was not good enough and to desire progress. William went beyond being determined and motivated and actually created something nobody believed he could, thus exemplifying what humankind is capable of when they put themselves to the task.

Ideas, because of their abstract form, are one of the few things that are beneficially contagious and have the ability to move freely throughout the world via education and opportunity. In addition, with the help of a global language, they have become cross-cultural and are shared across geographical boundaries. Education is the most important method of stimulating progress and raising the standard of living throughout the globe. When people from different countries, cultures, and backgrounds interact, they have the ability to enrich one another with different ideas, values, and lifestyles. Every language and every culture admires and respects universal concepts such as justice, truth, liberty, tolerance, and integrity. The human condition revolves around both joy and suffering, and we have a basic understanding of, and empathy for, both which allows us to celebrate both our differences and the attributes that make us akin. Through interaction we can share the lust for learning and the ability to grow together as a community. This is William's message to everyone and it is our job to listen.

"I try, and I made it." These words, spoken by William Kamkwamba, a young man from Kasungu, Malawi, Africa, should be an inspiration to all. Told in broken English as he stood onstage at a TED conference, William relayed his tale of perseverance. His story is one of hope, initiative, and love for learning. For fourteen-year-old William, inspiration came from a junk yard and a library book. Despite the jests and jeers of others, he began collecting remnants from old cars, discarded machines, buried PVC pipe, and his father's bicycle. He put the windmill together one small piece at a time. With the help of his friend, Geoffrey, he hoisted the blades up the wooden structure and attached it to the top. The excitement and rush he must have felt when he finally connected the wires! His invention worked! He had harnessed the wind and made electricity for his family's home.

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, written by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer, could be beneficial in many ways within a classroom setting. This book is careful to not only show the successes achieved by William, but also his failures. His persistence and unwillingness to give up led to his dream of creating electric wind. High school and middle grades could read this book as a literature set, while upper elementary students could read excerpts in order to understand the hard work, determination, and positive attitude displayed by this inspiring young man. It could be used to explore the African culture while comparing and contrasting the American school system with that of Africa. Providing a free and public education in the United States is one of the greatest advantages that our country can give to our children. Unfortunately, many students have become immune to its benefits. Too many see school as a hassle that they are forced to endure. Kids in William's country see school as a privilege. They seek knowledge and realize that having an education is a gift that not everyone can have. The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind is an excellent book and should be a used to teach goal setting, hard work, diligence, and ultimately--triumph.

William Kamkwamba had a hard life in Malawi. His entire family suffered during the famine of 2002. He was forced to leave secondary school because his family had to use all their resources to buy food. He spent his time in the library, and set about improving the conditions of his family by essentially building a windmill from scratch. This feat changed his life, his family's life and the lives of the people in his village. It is an African Horatio Alger story, and we need to hear more stories like this.
While you will appreciate the intelligence of the writer, his English is not very good, and his writing is choppy. Nevertheless, I strongly recommend this book.

It seems that there is an age at which everything seems possible. You, personally are going to stop global warming. You are going to organize enough people to swing the vote, and then eventually, you will become president of the United States.

For most people, this occurs after that period of time during which you know everything. You have already come to grips with ignorance, and have compensated by turning all of your energy towards saving the world. You plan on compensating for your lack of infinite knowledge through your application of infinite sweat, toil, and energy.

For most people, this ends when you are faced with the reality of finding work, needing to pay rent, purchase health insurance, make a down payment on a house, and start feeding some babies. Now it seems foolish to think that we ever even thought that we could change the world.

Well, I think it was foolish to stop believing you could do it all. I firmly believe that you can. And I have just the book to prove it to you. William Kamkwamba's book "The boy who harnessed the wind." Will remind you of your passion. This book will rekindle your fire, provide you with inspiration, and a reminder that anything really is possible.

While many other reviews of this book have focussed on his amazing feat of building a windmill in the drought and famine-struck Malawi, I want to focus on his ability to move hearts, not just dynamos. More than half of his book tells of his childhood growing up in a rural village where magic is a power to be reckoned with (not played with) and lions and leopards prowl the forests.

His story wonderfully portrays a childhood that resonates deeply with our own memories of childhood while providing a beautiful glimpse into an alien world. It puts human faces on the frequently abstract continent of Africa. This in itself is praiseworthy. Kamkwamba doesn't just tell a cross-cultural tale. His coming of age story emerges slowly at first: as his neighbors start to skip meals, you realize that this is not your childhood story. By the time he and his family are fighting over four bites of wheat mush, it is too late: tears are filing your eyes, as you keep turning page after page, the only solace knowing that this story must have a happier ending.

The description of extreme hardship is not overly painful to read; it is quite matter of fact. For William and his family, crying and feeling sorry for yourself, or focusing on the hunger only made it worse. It was merely a fact of life that everyone's cheeks were sunken and that hunger and distended bellies could take anyone's life.

This is not a TV commercial asking you for money. That would be easy to write off. Instead, this account draws you in as a complicit observer: where were you when this was happening? Surely, you weren't fighting with other skeletons in line to buy the very last reserve of wheat. You have become part of William's family, full and contented while the rest of them are lying down to combat their hunger pains. If this does not rekindle your desire to seek justice in the world, to fight to end poverty and government corruption, then you must have been skipping chapters looking for the windmill.

Once your desire to help all Mulawians in some way is emblazoned, William gives you hope. With empty belly, he begins to educate himself. By taking apart radios and reading books, he climbs heights.

The rest of the story has been covered already. For me the magic of William is his ability to bring the reader into a foreign world without feeling like an outsider, showing their destitution while at the same time showing their strengths, determination, and intelligence. He made me more compassionate. I think this book belongs in school curriculum around the world.

I hope you read it. And then do something.

William Kamkwamba's story contains many examples of preserving in face of tremendous obstacles. William's story is a refreshing reminder of how trivial most of my problems really are. Reading the story, it humbled me to think of how many blessings my family takes for granted everyday. Throughout The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind I was touched by how William rebounded from each obstacle with a selfless and solution-oriented attitude. Teaching lessons that I learned from William's attitude include: instilling a love of learning, entrepreneurial spirit, and the ability to dream big.
William's passion for learning and discovery led him to teach himself physics and electrical engineering. Due to financial hardship, he was unable to attend school however he self-taught and learned how radios operated. Later, he discovered how to harness wind power and store it using simple materials which he salvaged. I would like to still this attitude in my students by encouraging them to set high expectations for themselvesWilliam's passion for learning and discovery inspires me to conduct my own teaching research and to step outside of my comfort zone. William's entrepreneurial spirit did not wait for others to provide for him. However, many ridiculed him for wanting something that others viewed as impossible. Some accused him of being a madman for hoarding garbage and even after it was completed he was accused of witchcraft. William did not allow the criticism and skeptics to discourage him, instead, the criticism motivated him to finish his goal. He visualized the completed windmill, the praise he would receive, and the much needed second harvest that his project would bring whenever he felt discouraged. Where many people would see hopelessness, he was able to dream and more importantly, bring his dream to fruition.

Every now and then you read a book that you just want to recommend to everyone. This is one of those truly inspirational books that reinforces the notion that fiction can't touch nonfiction. How can humans live for so long under such harsh conditions then one day a 13 year old boy changes everything? I have to put this right up there with 'Glass Castle'.

After reading The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind and listening to William Kamkwamba speak at Northwestern University yesterday, I want to shout from the rooftop to all teachers and parents, "Your children need to hear William's remarkable and inspiring story." I've been a high school English teacher for twenty-six years, and, every once in a while, I read something that speaks to me in such a profound way that I feel compelled to share it with my students and my own two sons, ages ten and thirteen. This is one of those books. I find that kids care deeply about our world and its people, yet they often lack an informed awareness of others' situations. Too often when they do learn about issues of concern in our world, they feel despair and hopelessness. William offers quite an alternative to that hopelessness and despair. After reading his story, it's hard for anyone to say, "I can't do anything." William's story leads us to consider some of the most significant issues that our world faces, including access to food, water, and education. What I love about this book is William's response to these challenges. When his family can no longer afford to pay his school fees during a time of famine, William turns to the library to try to keep up with his studies, hoping that he will eventually be able to return to school without being behind. It's in the library that William runs across a book that leads to his building a windmill, all while he, his family, and many others in Malawi are on the verge of starvation. He and his siblings typically ate only about three swallows of nsima a day during this time. He sees in the windmill a potential solution, the ability to generate the power needed to operate a pump for water and irrigation so that his family and others would not find themselves on the verge of starvation ever again. His generosity of spirit, ingenuity, creativity, hunger for knowledge, perseverance, and compassion are stunning. Young people need to believe that they are capable of making a difference in the world. William shows them a way even in the face of enormous obstacles, obstacles many of us will never face. When I heard WIlliam speak, someone in the audience asked who inspires him. He mentioned Martin Luther King, Jr., among others. In particular, he spoke of King's saying, "If you can't fly, run; if you can't run, walk; if you can't walk, crawl." Towards the end of his book, William speaks of "a new kind of Africa, a place of leaders instead of victims, a home of innovation rather than charity." That is something that I want my children and students to see. I find that students often complain about how depressing all the literature that they read is. If we want them to read, we need to offer books that truly matter. If we want them to act, we need to offer them stories such as William's that are uplifting, informative, and inspiring. After reading Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson, forty-five of my high school juniors raised $30,000 to build a school in Moshi, Tanzania, and fourteen of them traveled to the school for its opening. As one student said after reading the book, "Greg took away any excuses we had for not doing anything." I have no doubt that William's story will have the same sort of impact. After his speech, I asked what he is working on now at school. He described, among other things, the Doers Club that he founded. Let's hope the publishing world also creates a young readers edition for kids ages 10-14 and a picture book for the younger set so that we multiply the number of doers inspired by William's model working throughout the world.

Jamie Rowe

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer, tells the story of William Kamkwamba's life in poverty that drove him to teach himself about physics and determination in order to make electric wind and save his family from extreme famine. William's story is an inspiration to everyone. He teaches each and every one of us that we can truly learn anything. We can teach ourselves whatever our hearts desire. William teaches us that all we need is determination. All that we need to make our dreams come true, all that we need to learn anything is determination, and William is certainly determined. William also teaches us that an education, however we achieve it, can stretch so much farther than ourselves. We can use what we learn in order to change our lives, change our views and the views of others, and like William, we can use our knowledge to change the world.

I absolutely loved this book because William refuses to give up. He refuses to accept that just because he does not have the money for an education, it does not mean that he has to give up. So he teaches himself, he uses his imagination and unbridled determination to not only educate himself, but to build a windmill, provide electricity for his family, and change their lives forever. This book is heartwarming and inspirational. You become immediate friends with William and want only the best for him and his family. He is a humble boy in a humble town that changes his world, and it was a pleasure to read his story. He can teach all of us so much about teaching, life, hope and the power of our dreams.

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind (2009) by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer is a wonderful story that sends a powerful message to those who read it. More specifically, it can send a message to educators all over the world. This story provides evidence that supports several ideas in education. Throughout the book, there are multiple examples that support the use of inquiry, motivation and engagement, and the power of teacher perceptions. After reading this book, teachers can look at some of their struggling students with new eyes. Instead of beginning with preset expectations for these students, we need to provide them (and all other students) with engaging and motivating experiences that allow them to create meaning for themselves.

During the story, William engages in inquiry activities that motivate him to learn more. He loved exploring and creating things on his own. It was his intrinsic motivation that allowed him to teach himself the skills needed to build the windmill. In this story, William did not have strong background knowledge or access to educational resources. Many people in his village thought he was crazy and did not believe he could succeed. If he had listened and adopted the views of those around him, he might have given up on his dreams.

This is a wonderful memoir about a boy from Malawi who built a windmill from scavenged parts and provided electricity for his home. Reading this memoir is like sitting across from William in a coffee shop, chatting about life. Raised in a terribly poor country, unable to afford schooling beyond the primary school in his village, William taught himself about windmills and electricity from books in the three shelf library in his town. This is a riveting story.

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind is the story of a remarkable young man, William Kamkwambe, who sets out to help his family and community take control of their lives. Set in Malawi, a country plagued with poverty, a lack of infrastructure, and corruption, the story chronicles William's journey toward envisioning and then realizing his dream of building a windmill--something not found in Malawi. Although he faces obstacles, including famine, the inability to continue his secondary education, and the lack of proper tools and parts, William perseveres by using his innate curiosity and his critical and creative thinking skills.

While it's possible to see this story as merely an inspirational piece that could motivate others to work toward achieving their dreams, it is more than that. As an educator, the lesson I take away is that it is possible for teachers to nurture in their students the same type of curiosity, problem-solving skills, and creativity that William embodies in his life. He is extraordinary, but all students can achieve their dreams if given the right tools for the job.

William Kamkwamba is an example of how one person can change the world. He grew up in drought and famine stricken Malawi and at times lived on the verge of starvation. When he was denied an education because of lack of money, he educated himself by reading books at the library. He learned about electricity and wind power and by scouring the junkyards was able to bring electricity and water to his village by building a windmill. I think this should be required reading in all schools.

William Kamkwamba's story is one of intense motivation and proof that with enthusiasm and ingenuity one can achieve great things. It takes little time for the reader to become both very comfortable and very fond of William. His stories are alluring and direct the reader through a world of hazards, hunger, and hope. His life could not be any more different than mine but his message could not be more important to my generation. William found himself in the middle of a famine and his family's eyes gazing at him for a solution, and there's no question from where his motivation arose.

His immense imagination was matched with the scientific method which when coupled together provided him with the ideas and concepts that resulted in great fruition. No longer does the word `impossible' hold value after reading Williams story. He shows us that more things are more capable now then have ever been. With the correct mixture of motivation, imagination, and the scientific method, real hope can emerge and great things can be accomplished. This is his lesson and it cannot go unheard.

William Kamkwamba's memoir tells the story of his life growing up in a poor African farming village in Malawi. Without running water or electricity, William and his family live a life of subsistence dependent upon the success of their annual maize crop. Raised in a culture entrenched in mysticism and superstition, William--who must repeatedly drop out of school because his family is too poor to pay for his tuition and fees--becomes curious about science. A chance encounter with a bicycle dynamo sparks his interest in electricity, and soon he is scavenging his village for any available resource that will help him build his inventions. While exiled from school, William spends a great deal of time in a village library, where he devours books on physics and mechanics, and--with the help of his friends--he builds a working windmill that supplies him and his family with electricity. This book, however, tells more than just the story of how William "harnessed the wind"; it also tells of the abject poverty that is rampant throughout most of sub-Saharan Africa, the sickness its people endure (malaria chief among them), and the corrupt politics that dominate many African governments. Through all these hardships, William endures, persists, never abandons his goals. His story is, quite simply, an inspiration.

An exceptional story that is, as cliché as it sounds, truly inspiring. The writing was perfect: the co-author retained William's voice throughout, and he managed to pull off a past tense story that integrates more third person omniscient moments--that's brilliant. I had to visit William's website after I read this. I think I've found a new charity to support. This was a beautiful story that will restore your faith in humanity.

This story is an inspiring book that is nice read for innovation and those who love to see the underdog win. We often see only the negative come out of Africa, seldom are we shown the success and spirit of an emerging continent. William Kamkwamba has a longing to become more than himself and sitting idly by does not suit him. As a youngster trying to build toys, then taking the same ideas into creating a windmill to hopefully provide energy and to lift his village out of poverty. The book gives a rich background to his life in Malawi, and it helps the reader -most who are unknowlegable about true life in an African nation, a better understanding of just how difficult his task and achievment was. At some points it was a slow read, but it got better towards the middle and end. I found the beginning to be a bit jumpy. Nevertheless, it was a fine book that seems to join the current list of "moving true stories" about education that are flooding the book market. This would be a good book for a high school English class.

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind is an intriguing story about a bow living in impoverished Malawi, Africa. The son of a poor farming family William Kamkwamba struggles his entire young life just to survive. They rely on their annual crops to provide enough maize to last them the entire year till the next crops are harvested.

While he isn't helping his father in the fields he and his cousin Geoffrey spent their time repairing radios. But one of the major problems that they had was finding good batteries. Since there was no electricity and no modern technology of that kind the supply of batteries was extremely limited. Using a bicycle dynamo he manages to replace those precious batteries. This discovery led to his biggest invention. This invention led to his successive fame. In the midst of many different hardships he plows onward to see his goals put in to place.

The imagery is fantastic; one can almost smell the nsima in a few parts of the book. Just the inspiration that this book invokes in a person is worth while. Reading of a boy that overcame so very many challenges to get to this point is amazing. This is a very good read that I highly recommend to everyone.

This was an amazing story... a bit of a slow read for me because the direction of the book was unclear for some time. There were several stories he told that had nothing to do with the plot. However, it was indeed inspiring. What a remarkable young man... truly a great underdog story.

The Boy who Harnessed the Wind is an incredible read. It is an inspiring life story of William Kamkwamba life growing up in an African village. He tells stories from his childhood about how hard his mother and father worked and how their were many nights he had no choice but to go to bed hungry. But he does not let this detour from the goals that has made for his life. His village is suffering because of deforestation and a tyrant government in which make it hard for many villages to survive.

As an educator is taught me how the small things in life can have a huge impact on your future. Setting goals and working hard toward your goals is a characterstic I want all my students to possess. William is an inspiration because he had a hard knock life growing up but did not give up or give in to his surroundings. He pushed through his hardships and continued to get his education so he could be the scientis that he always dreamed about and bring electricity to his village using a windmill.

What a great story. It was a little bit tough to get into, but once you met all the characters it was a wonderful story. Not without heartache, the story told of Williams's family's struggle with hunger, a common problem in Africa. Through determination, curiosity and sheer intelligence, William was able to pull his village out of starvation and into the 21st century. Truly a great read.

In a time and among a generation where "passion" can denote everything from what we feel for our pets to the connection between lovers to the vigor which drives political and religious activists, William Kamkwamba reminds us what true passion looks like. William becomes obsessed with providing a better, brighter (pun intended) future for his family. In order to see his plans come to fruition, he lives as a sponge for learning all things electricity. Through constant exploration and despite gut-wrenching hardships, William sees his dreams realized. Overcoming jeering crowds, limited resources, and a devastating famine, William builds a windmill to light his family's home and inspire hope in people around him.
This book teaches us much about the power of a dream and fostering a passion for learning. Teachers, students, and learners everywhere will be inspired, challenged, and warmed by this too-good-to-be-true story.

Despite William Kamkwamba's humble background and minimal education, he was able to construct a windmill to provide his family and community with electricity. As an educator, what does this story teach me about teaching? It teaches me that resources for learning are all around us and collaboration is a key to success in any situation.
Resources for learning surround us. William was faced with famine, poverty, and a minimal education. Yet, he still used his local library to continue his studies for general education. While there he found books about energy, physics, and electricity to help him construct his windmill. When he needed supplies to construct his windmill, he made his own tools and dug through the scrap yard for parts. Teachers need to search for innovative ways to teach all of their lessons.
Collaboration is essential for success. When William needed nuts, bolts, or a generator his cousin was there to assist him. Without his cousins, his windmill would never have been assembled. Teachers need to encourage their students to collaborate.

I enjoyed this book from start to finish. I borrowed this book from the library, but I liked it so much, I will now purchase it and recommend it to my family and friends. I lived and taught in Lilongwe, Malawi for three years and it was interesting to read about places and things familiar to me, but it also helped me to understand Malawi and what was going on during that time from a Malawian.

The book is fast reading and very interesting as a depiction of African life in a third-world country which includes famine, poor national leadership, poor healthcare, lack of educational opportunities, crooked government workers. It is written in a simple style, and the story carries you right along. I loved reading about William and wish him luck in all his efforts.

Early in the novel, William shows his determination to learn. His zeal develops and grows for understanding, manipulating, and eventually creating technical devices. He displays respectable qualities of character. William is not afraid of failure. He tries numerous times and different approaches to achieve his goals. William also does let himself be stifled by what others think of him or his goals.

This book also vividly describes what it is like to live through poverty and famine. William had to struggle to survive, along with many of the people of Malawi in the famine of 2001 to 2002. Reading this can be a call to action, inspiring one to find out more to help people of the world who are in extreme need, when crises such as this occur. This section of the book is also a testament to William's fortitude and perseverance.

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind was full of events that can be applied in parallel to teaching. William Kamkwamba's practice of staying focused on his goal without giving up, believing in his own power to change the world, and taking important risks are all important things to apply in my career as a classroom teacher. William's story taught me that I cannot be afraid to try something new.

William left everything he knew to get on an airplane, attend a TED conference and even went up on stage and said a few words. The ability to deal with that much change in such a short amount of time is inspirational. William worked as hard as he could, and relied on his own inner strength and knowledge to get him through. He never tried to blame anyone else. He approached each problem knowing that it could be solved, and he could be the one to solve it. This attitude was crucial to his success! This is a great story!

"The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind" is the most inspiring book that I have ever encountered. William rises above hardships which would break most grown men, however he perseveres to do great things. He changed the lives of his entire family, by powering his home by teaching himself how to build a windmill from a book. As an Engineering student I appreciate his ingenuity and intelligence. I would recommend this book to everyone looking for an quick and interesting story.

Fascinating reading. It takes a while to get to the issue of harnessing the wind, but at least that part I could follow in detail. In spite of having some physics classes in high school and college, I am amazed at what he was able to glean from text books.

If you think there is no hope, if you've stopped dreaming, then you need to read this book. This is the story of a boy who had nothing. He lived in conditions most westerners don't even know about. He had to fight and survive famine, drought and extreme poverty. His village had no running water or electricity. While American students are in school, he's working under harsh conditions. He has to educate himself after work. At the age 14, while most kids are playing video games, he builds a windmill to bring electricity to his house.
This book is not only inspirational, it is educational as well. You will learn about the culture of Malawi, the language, science, religion, etc. I read this book as a class assignment but this book is geared toward a broader audience than your typical student.

I found William Kamkwamba's story to be a great one. I first heard of this on Ted Talks

(see: [...])

and was inspired to read the book. It was an amazing sory and I think the book is also an impressive read BUT I do think however that the ratings of 2 here have valid points you should consider and be aware of. These claims/criticisms are not merely about a bad delivery or damaged product - but they look at possible flaws with this whole story.

Nonetheless - I still find the story an interesting one, and my Engineering students find it inspirational so would not steer you away from it. If you do indeed find that the claims here do not add up it would make this even more interesting should one day a hoax be revealed. The story is still good.

This book continues to be a topic of conversation at our house long after having read it. What this man was able to accomplish is amazing, and an inspiration to us to continue working to help others in creative ways. We have recommended this book to several friends. Well worth the read.

This book left me unsatisfied. It did not tell enough about the main character, a curious young man with an imagination, and I read it and thought that there must be much more to this story. I am sorry it was not there.

This was a wonderful true story of a boy in Malawi who used what resources available to him (the public library and a junk pile) to solve the problems he saw that his family had. He had no aspirations of becoming famous. He merely chose to apply what was available to him to his family's critical problems. It's a very uplifting book - one which shows you the value of public libraries and basic education. Highly recommended!

This book is so well written that I feel like I lived it along with William. Every life and every story has highs and lows, but few people ever escape such hunger and poverty to travel the world and effect such change.

I love stories about people coming from nowhere and making something of themselves. This is one of those stories and I enjoyed reading about the culture, hard times, and what a little bit of willpower and thought can do for this child and the world he lives in.

I really enjoyed the book, though the title reflects only the second half of the book. The story is really separated into two sections - the tragedy of a famine and the inspiration of a boy who learned to harness the wind. With that said, both halves of the book are compelling and make the book worth reading. The tragedy of the famine, which comprises the first half of the book, is heartwrenching and my appreciation for how blessed I am increased with each turned page. Following the famine, the story switches to the inspirational story of harnessing the wind.

Don't expect to be blown away by exceptional writing or literary prose, but the simplicity in writing allows the reader to relate easily with the main character and his situation.

I liked the story quite a bit. It wasn't blow me away stuff and there did seem to be a bit of filler added to make the story book length but I really can't complain about it. The guy is likable and I enjoyed the photographs included as well.

Worth a read, for sure.

The many virtues of this book are related in some detail in other reviews here, so I will simply state that this book makes it clear that even small contibutions (the small library in William's area that contained the donated book on windmills) to support furthering education in vastly underserved communities can have a major positive impact.

I first learned of William while watching the Daily Show with John Stewart. I was intrigued by his interview and decided to purchase this book. Boy am I glad I did. This has to be one of the most inspiring stories I've ever read. Despite famine, poverty, ridicule, and the lack of a formal education, William's hunger for knowledge, ingenuity and tenacity led him to create something that would help improve life for his family and village. Reading about the circumstances and culture William grew up in was truly fascinating.

This book has inspired and motivated me to reassess my own path in life and it may do the same for you!

Having been to Malawi several times I looked forward to reading this book. I wished I could have read such a book before my first trip there. This book gives a real picture of what life is like in Malawi. I was moved by William's faith in God; his hunger for learning and his desire to better the life of his family. The portrait of the difficulties faced by the people of Malawi (famine, corrupt gov't, school fees, etc) is certainly moving and personal. It is great reading/disscusion material for anyone. A great book to read and pass along!

Just finished reading two excellent non-fiction books. Because of MS, i sometimes find reading difficult and I don't find too many non-fiction books that grab and hold my attention. "The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind" definitely grabs you and takes you from joy to despair to joy again. Remarkable

Happy to lend them to anyone!

There are two parts to this book. The hardships of African life is explained in a simple yet in a telling manner. It is shocking to see how a large section of people are struggling for their next meal while the other side of the world lavishes in luxury. The second part is the determination of a boy, despite of various setbacks used science to fulfil the basic needs of his village

A truly inspirational read !!

I am amazed by people who can literally make something incredible out of what most of us would consider trash. The ingenuity and willpower that Wiiliam demonstrates should be an inspiration to us all. He lifted himself, his family and his entire village into a better place with little formal education or access to materials.

Interesting perspective on life in the "suburbs" of Africa. Amazing to learn how primitive life is for many in the world.

This should be required reading for Boy Scouts as it demonstrates an inquisitive "can-do" attitude on the part of the author.

I had to read this book once William's story was blogged on every site on the Web. I was fascinated that he brought such improvement to his family with just a single electric bulb. This book really highlights so much of what I take for granted in my comfortable suburban life.

This book reminds me of "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance", in that there are technical descriptions interspersed with a compelling story. The story is heartbreaking and takes the reader into the home of a rural Malawian family as they suffer through famine and not being able to send their children to school. It's real and very recent.

If you're interested in the developing world and grassroots-style projects, this book is very worthwhile.

This is one of the most inspiring stories of the human spirit and ingenuity I've ever read. William's efforts to educate himself and build a windmill in the face of extreme poverty and adversity are heroic and extraordinary. Once you've read his account of his family's struggle for survival during a disastrous growing season in Malawi, you will never think of food the same way.

In the second chapter of the book, Kamkwamba wrote that by reading till the end of his story you would be amazed on how much you didn't know about corn; which was used descriptively throughout the book in explaining political scenario in Malawi during the mid 1990 and change in agriculture policies. The last few chapters only begin to shed light on Kamkwamba and his life after TED. A worthwhile reading, though I believe it would have been more helpful if proper explanation and more illustration is given about his windmill.

What a wonderful and inspiring book. You constantly root for William, his family, and community. What a genius. fighter. and exceptional human being. There was no room for negativism or defeat in William's life, "Just do it!"

While the book does get off to a slow start, don't let that stop you from finishing. This book is life changing. I will never forget the lessons that I have learned from this book. I tell everyone I know about it. A must read!

This was a book club selection. The ONLY person who enjoyed it was a Dartmouth alum who was thrilled that her alma mater has received favorable attention as the result of the author's attendance. It is a rather boring read that goes into too much detail in certain areas and not enough in others. The consensus of the group was that this was a tedious read with the major enjoyment coming from having the discipline to complete it in time for our meeting!!

I agree with most of what comprises the 5-star reviews of this book. Uplifting, inspirational, compelling and amazing without a doubt. Unfortunately, the harnessing doesn't really begin in earnest until midway through, and the first half includes a lot of personal and local history that is just too unrelated to the story's heart for readers who are looking at this as the story of how one African villager grabbed a hold of his home country's natural resources to improve life for his people and himself.

The developed/developing world conflict on climate change has been playing out more publicly as energy and environmental politics have taken on a larger presence both in the Obama presidency and in world politics (especially as the UN Copenhagen climate conference approaches).

US energy legislation is floundering right alongside health care. Developing countries - China and India are the countries most commonly pointed to in media reports - are reluctant to slow the growth of their economies by putting the brakes on energy capacity growth -- even if it is dirty. What concessions they are likely to make, they want developed countries to pay for. THE BOY WHO HARNESSED THE WIND has the potetial to be a gripping example of how the clean energy future could be both transformative and empowering in a way that levels the playing field worldwide. Imagine: a world where more people could enjoy the quality of life that is afforded to wealthy Western nations - thanks in part to their ability to consume more energy - without proliferation of the harmful environmental impacts that are being borne across the world and often by those who are not the consumers.

While everyone seems to expect the rich European countries to lead the way to a new energy model, this book underscores why the developing world holds the most promise. The developing world is a great laboratory for innovation and experimentation on renewable energy. The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind is one story of the promise that such innovations hold for those nations, and the potential they hold for the world. But, a lot of early stuff on local lore and childhood meanderings makes this more Angela's Ashes than Silent Spring.

I have read the book but one thing that kept poping in my mind is "was it really possible"?
Here is just one example:

He said he extracted a motor out of a radio than built his first generator but as far as i know a radio does not have a motor but a casette player. Lets assume it was a casette player and he got the motor but from that small motor you can not generate enough electricity to operate a radio. He said he added some blades and rotated manually and touch the wires to his tongue, it tickled. But if your motor is so small you need to spin it really really fast to get something out of it.

His end product may work fine but his book arises more questions that it answers. That reminds me "memoirs of a boy soldier", which turned out to be a hoax.

We need scientific check on the story and evidence beyond photographs on the expense of ruining a story of hope and courage.