The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: Creating Currents of Electricity and Hope
Selected Book Details
- Hardcover
- Edition: First Edition, First Printing
- Author: William Kamkwamba, Bryan Mealer
- Publisher: William Morrow
- Release Date: October 2009
- ISBN-10: 0061730327
- ISBN-13: 9780061730320
- List Price: $25.99
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Summaries and Customer Reviews provided by Amazon
SummaryAmazon Best of the Month, September 2009: Discarded motor parts, PVC pipe, and an old bicycle wheel may be junk to most people, but in the inspired hands of William Kamkwamba, they are instruments of opportunity. Growing up amid famine and poverty in rural Malawi, wind was one of the few abundant resources available, and the inventive fourteen-year-old saw its energy as a way to power his dreams. "With a windmill, we'd finally release ourselves from the troubles of darkness and hunger," he realized. "A windmill meant more than just power, it was freedom." Despite the biting jeers of village skeptics, young William devoted himself to borrowed textbooks and salvage yards in pursuit of a device that could produce an "electric wind." The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind is an inspiring story of an indomitable will that refused to bend to doubt or circumstance. When the world seemed to be against him, William Kamkwamba set out to change it. --Dave Callanan |
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Engineers are born, not made.
Rating: 
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.
A wonderful memoir
Rating:
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
Rating:
An incredible journey of a boy who found a way to help his family and community live more prosperous lives. A must read - good feeling book.
the boy who harnessed the wind
Rating:
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.
I am going to 'adopt' this book
Rating:
I love books and think this could very well be the most inspiring one I have ever read. It's a simple story told very simply and beautifully but is the answer to anyone who says that one person can't make a difference. I bought it for my Kindle and was crying on the NYC subway yesterday as I finished it. I went to the Barnes & Noble across from Lincoln Center to see the physical book because the graphics on the Kindle aren't great. I stopped and told the manager how wonderful it was. He said, 'Oh, I read the review in the NY Times yesterday. We should put that book in the window' -- and he did! Last night I was in the Village and talked to the B&N manager there who said the same thing. I just bought ten copies from Amazon that I am going to give away. I have told at least a dozen people about this book. I think Africa is our great black hope, but I didn't realize until I read this book that the phrase 'the dark continent' must have come not from the color of people's skin but from the lack of electricity at night. William Kamkwambe changed that in his little village and many others will read this book and do the same. It's just wonderful. Buy ten copies and give them away, and tell your library to order it. I am also going to talk to T. Boone Pickens about buying many hundreds of copies to give away as part of his own program to harness the wind. He has a few bucks to do it.
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