The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba (2009) Paperback

I saw this book and immediately thought of my son who is always thinking about how things work. It was a big hit for all 3 of my boys, and they learned about wells, irrigation, famine and perseverance, and how people might not share your vision when you have a new idea. A very inspiring true story for any aged reader.

Encouraging, hopeful and inspiring. The achievements of a boy who had nothing but his brain and a fine character which helped provide support for a success that was an unimaginable leap from his beginning. A very warm story and very well told.

What an inspiring book for young and old! This young man who was able to envision a new creation and to persevere the trials of tribulations of the lack of resources, coupled with a famine, is truly a model for his countrymen and those throughout the world.

A remarkable young man sets out to build a windmill in famine stricken Africa from scraps found in a trash yard. An inspirational story that every young man must read. A lesson in life that you can be everything you want and more.

The writing style seems a bit juvenille but as one gets deeper into the book it's easy to see that the style is a real asset. This book should be must reading in every classroom in America for kids from 12-17. Not that it is only for that age group but it is the type of book that might just grab one of these lost souls and show them what they can do if they focus on their solving a life problem rather than waiting for someone else or the government to do it for them. William Kamkwamba is an inspiration to me and I'm 70...but able to see how this book might have changed my life if I had read it when I was 12.

Didn't know they made a young readers version; (even at Barnes and Noble, they didn't realize this.) If you need the exact copy for school, this isn't it. Had to rebuy somewhere else because my daughter tried annotating at school, and did it all wrong.

I finished this book about five days ago. It will be used in conjunction with They Poured Fire on Us From the Sky, when I help my daughter-I-law design geography lessons. I think I will also use it with 6th and 7the graders in the school that I volunteer at. It is enlightening to read what one person, with help from friends can do with next to nothing. Talk about recycling! This boy is definitely a genius.

It was interesting to read about a young African male that achieved some pretty spectacular scientific results without a formal education. The difficulty I had was the use of the native language and names and at times the story got bogged down in too many minute details regarding the scientific endeavors.

I was inspired when I heard about William and when a friend told me there was a book about him I had to read it! What a credit to this young man's determination and a very touching, heart wrenching story! Highly recommend!

The book tells an amazing story of ingenuity and perseverance. William is so honest in his explanation of his journey to produce electricity for his family. He proves that living in poverty doesn't define your life when you are determined to try to achieve your dream.

William Kamkwamba seemed to have nothing going for him. Growing up in a small village in Malawi (Africa), he was raised in extreme poverty, had little access to education, and stood face-to-face with starvation for months at a time in the midst of drought. With his dysfunctional government showing no real support, William took matters into his own hands and, using nothing but a bit of self-taught knowledge of electricity, imagination, an assortment of scrap-heap parts, and the persistence and desire to inject a positive charge into a world full of negatives, built a windmill that brought hope to entire community.

As an educator, this book served as a refreshing reminder that all children, no matter the circumstances, have the ability to achieve something. Too often, we make assumptions or set limits for certain students like William, perhaps because their socioeconomic status is too low, their educational background is a track record filled with mediocrity, or the problems they face just seem to be too big for them to overcome. Even though he is told to stop wasting his time and give up, William proves to us all that a little imagination and enthusiasm can go a long way.

This was a fascinating read and is a great example of how human beings can overcome great obstacles to achieve a remarkable goal. It's a warm-hearted book that keeps you turning the pages keeps you rooting for William. I loved learning about Malawi and about the (recent) famine they experienced there. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in books about the amazing human spirit.

I found the story of William Kamkwamba and his family fascinating. The story is well written, and it made me reflect on the ease of life that we enjoy in America. It's an inspiring story that I would recommend mothers have their teenage boys read. We could learn much from William's determination to succeed in the midst of famine, poverty, and mockery.

This book is the inspirational story of a young boy growing up in Africa. William Kamkwamba overcomes all odds to make a difference for himself, his family and his people by building a windmill. No one teaches him how to build the windmill, he simply experiments and uses whatever trash he can find to make it. His only instruction comes from a few books that he can barely read from the local three-shelf library. His efforts eventually gain him the recognition of reporters and technology buffs all over the world, and his story has a happy ending.

In addition to being a nice story of triumph, there are many powerful lessons taught in this well-written book. I found the first-hand account of William's childhood to be very interesting - witch doctors, curses, the ignorance of HIV and the fight against malaria, hunger and the government. William never gave up. He has taught me to persevere and not only to be resourceful with the things that I have, but also to be so thankful for them. William has helped many people to see a way out and a way to a better quality of life, no matter how little you start out with. Education, no matter how informal, is the one thing that can open doors for people around the world.

In order for education to be a possibility, we must continue to work on making sure that the people in our world have their basic needs met first. I also think this book doubles as a call to action to continue providing assistance to others who need food, clean water, and shelter in Africa and other developing countries.

An enjoyable read. It's an inspirational story. It's perfect to put in the hands of kids who say they're bored. An impoverished teen built a life-changing windmill out of junkyard scrap. It should be required reading in school districts with spoiled, pampered kids.

I first learned of this book when William Kawambwa when he made a guest experience on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. Like thousands of others I was blown away by his story and is personality and sense of humor that he still after everything he had to over come. This story had me laughing and crying and I am so proud of William.

This was a "Community Read" book, and the book club that I'm in also chose it, so I ordered it because I thought I had to read it. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find it well written, informative, and inspirational! The information about Malawi, Africa, was enlightening, interesting, and often depressing. The fact that a young man was able to survive extreme poverty and starvation and then create a windmill out of salvaged junk, when he had had very little formal education, is an amazing and uplifting story. This would be an excellent book for teens who are "bored" to read!!!

My kids loved the children's picture book when they were younger and my 8 year old really enjoyed this version. She read through it quickly and enjoyed the story and was very enthusiastic in sharing things about it with us.

The spirit and courage of this young inventor shine throughout his true story of crushing poverty and the will to not only survive but thrive. His open heart and connection to family, community, and the larger world make this a luminous tale not to be missed.

WOW!!! An inspiring story about an inspiring young man. William Kamkwamba made it through famine, poverty, and lack of education to create a windmill that brings electricity and water to his village in Malawi.

Kamkwamba says, "I went to sleep dreaming of Malawi, and all the things made possible when your dreams are powered by your heart... We must encourage those still struggling to keep moving forward. My fellow students and I talk about creating a new kind of Africa, a place of leaders instead of victims, a home of innovation rather than charity... By working together, we can help remove this burden of bad luck from their backs, just as I did, and use it to build a better future."

Karen Molenaar Terrell

I thoroughly enjoyed reading the Boy Who Harnessed The Wind and was fascinated by the stories of the Malawians and their mixed beliefs of witchcraft, superstitions, God, Folklore, and Science and how a genius boy,William Kamkwamba,built a windmill from scrap materials. To read the details of the average Malawian's life surprised me frankly, and made me humble and thankful. I found this story to be an amazing account of determination and triumph over adversity. I came away with a different thinking and mindset of what the most important things in life are: God, food, shelter, water, clothing, and an education, which are often taken for granted.

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind serves as an excellent inspiration for both teachers and students about the importance of having a vision for educational attainment, setting and achieving realistic goals, dreaming big, and never giving up, even if the odds are stacked against them. William's story further illustrates a powerful lesson of what students and teachers can accomplish and overcome if they just have faith in their abilities, possess courage, determination, perseverance, ingenuity, and have a belief in their own ideas and imagination enough to accomplish the most impossible school and life tasks.

This was one of the more memorable and touching books I've read in a long time. While not the very best piece of writing, the story will quickly capture your heart and imagination. William and his friends are kids you would know from your own neigborhood; but their survivor mentality can only be homegrown in Malawi. By the end of the book, I found myself rooting for all of them and feeling a sense of pride that is tiny in comparison to what William's family and village must feel for him. A dream, a vision, a "can do" attitude are all lessons for each of us to learn from this story. I can't help but wonder if this kind of ingenuity exists any longer in our culture of computers, creature comforts and instant gratification... let's hope that is not the reality. Thanks to Bryan Mealer for helping William Kamkwamba tell this story. I can't wait for the documentary!!

great story / great book.

I just retired from teaching in a wonderful school full of well off teens who don't care about education much any more. I would have LOVED to had this young man in my class...and 29 just like him. Teaching would be a DREAM job once again!

Became enamored with the author as he brings the reader on an enormous and wrenching journey of his triumph in the scientific world. The story is brilliantly written and strongly pulls at our human emotions as well as educates us in the world of windmills...

This story follows William Kamkwamba through his life in Africa. During his childhood, his village and much of Africa in general, experience a horrible drought and a poorly run government that resulted in a massive amount of deaths. As the story outlines the struggles that William and his family go through as poor farmers, the story also gives you insight into the heart and mind of a young, determined child as he builds his own future out of nothing but the scraps he finds around his village.

William's unbridled imagination and enthusiasm teaches us many things about teaching. It teaches us that no matter how far behind a child may be according to the standards of the school, they are still capable of great things, as long as they are inspired. William also teaches us the importance of tapping into our student's interests and showing them the joy of discovery during the learning process. Finally, William teaches us that with hard work anything is possible, which applies to both teachers and students. William Kamkwamba's amazing, life-long journey through learning is an inspiration to teachers and students alike, who may feel hopeless; this novel, The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, gives you hope.

Absolutely amazing story of perseverance in the face of enormous obstacles. I could not help wondering what this incredible boy could achieve had his body and brain not endured unspeakable starvation for a long time. He is still brilliant, and nice!

This is an excellent book that shows (American) children a different culture in a different part of the world. It can be used in lessons about kinetic and potential energy, alternative power sources, and simple machines.

Dire poverty and hopelessness, visited upon the "havenots", is sadly factual, in too many parts of this planet. It is inspirational to read a true story of the adage "where there is a will there is a way".

Every child in every nation should hear this story, even if they are not old enough to read it. We all should know that even in this day of high tech gadgets, one of the poorest of the poor can dream, can create, and can make those dreams come true, if they, like William, say, "I try, and I did it."

Very inspiring read about the ingenuity and patient quest of a young boy to understand electricity and produce it for his rural village in Africa in order to help break them out of a cycle of poverty and total dependence on the providence of nature to raise a crop each year to feed their families.

Enjoyed this story very much. I learned more about Africa and it's people and the way they live than I have from all other sources over years. (Not that I put in much effort along those lines). But the story of William Kamkwamba is the main attraction with everything required for a page turning good read. Drama , humor, persistance against all odds, and at long last, a successful and happy ending. Highly recommend this book.

I loved everything. The innovation, the supporters of kambwamba and more. He innovates and instead of going to school, he went to his primary school library and learned a lot of things. Such as, physics mechanical engineering and electrical engineering.

The book wasn't what I expected. Although it was a remarkable tale of a boy's success in constructing a windmill to produce electricity in an impoverished African village, the accounting of his thirst for education, the extreme poverty in the area, the famine that killed many and the Malawi government's corrupt indifference to the suffering of its citizens appalled me.
In the face of starvation and lack of schooling, the boy succeeded.
The book should be required reading for all American high school students. Perhaps then they would appreciate having a free education,a full stomach, decent clothing and shelter.