The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind
Release date: 2009 / 286 pages
Synopsis (from the back cover): William Kamkwamba was born in Malawi, a country where magic ruled and modern science was mystery. It was also a land withered by drought and hunger. but William had read about windmills, and he dreamed of building one that would bring to his small village a set of luxuries that only 2 percent of Malawians could enjoy: electricity and running water.
First Sentence: The preparation was complete, so I waited.
Review: This is a book that will make you smile, cry, and ultimately believe in the possibility of the human mind to better our world. I wish this could be assigned to high school students in the U.S. in order to inspire hope, a passion for science and an appreciation of two basic needs that we so often take for granted in developed countries: food and education.
The hero of this work — the boy who actually harnessed the wind — is William Kamkwamba, a charming, humble, charismatic boy from Malawi who decides to educate himself once famine ravages his country and prevents him from going to school. Through the use of his library and his own uncommon ingenuity, he patches together a windmill that provides an electrical current for his family.
His journey building his windmill is fascinating and amazing — especially since it comes on the tail of a devastating famine that the reader experiences through William’s words. After watching so many people die of hunger, William’s ultimate goal is to find a way to irrigate crops using power from the wind. Along the way, his windmill is discovered by a group of visiting teachers, which sets off a chain reaction that not only helps William achieve his dreams of irrigation, but of education as well. He is currently enrolled at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire.
I would love to teach this book to high schoolers to show them how much can come from so little if we only believe and perservere. In a community that believes in magic, science seems less tangible than ghost trucks and witches. As William explains, “In a land of poor farmers, there were too many troubles for God and man alone. To compensate for this imbalance… magic existed as a third and powerful force.” When powerlessness is not only expected but mandated by the government, magic becomes a very real presence.
However, William decides to put his faith in another invisible force — electricity — and his single-minded tenacity leads to solutions not only for those he loves, but in what we can only imagine to be far-reaching benefits for all of Malawi. In William’s desire for a life “determined by me, [not] by rain and the price of fertilizer and seeds,” he empowered his community as well.
I’m not sure if this book would generate discussion in a book club as well as it would in a classroom, but your book club members would certainly thank you for choosing it nevertheless!
Interested in winning a free copy? Simply leave me a comment and I’ll choose a winner by this weekend!
For other reviews, check out the following sites:
Tuesday, July 27th: Books By Their Cover
Wednesday, July 28th: Chick With Books
Thursday, July 29th: Book Club Classics!
Monday, August 2nd: Find Your Next Book Here
Tuesday, August 3rd: The Zen Leaf
Thursday, August 5th: Eclectic/Eccentric
Tuesday, August 10th: Reviews from the Heart
Wednesday, August 11th: Nonsuch Book
Thursday, August 12th: Worducopia
Monday, August 16th: Rundpinne
Tuesday, August 17th: Sophisticated Dorkiness
Wednesday, August 18th: Tales of a Capricious Reader
Thursday, August 19th: I’m Booking It
Tuesday, August 24th: Age 30+…A Lifetime of Books
Wednesday, August 25th: Bookfoolery and Babble
Thursday, August 26th: The Road to Here
This book sounds interesting…add me to your giveaway list. I would love to read it. Thanks for the review.
SandyG
Like you, I’d like to see books like this read one and discussed in high school classrooms. Sometimes, reading lists for students become stale and outdated and not intriguing to their readers. Your synopsis about Malawi “where magic ruled and modern science was mystery,” sounds like an important and in-depth reading experience. Thanks for your review.
I love windmills. I grew up in the midwest and remember the one on my grandparents farm that they used. I’d love to have a windmill in my yard – wonder what my neighbors would think. I’d love to read this book.
This book has been on my TBR list for awhile now. I would love to win it. Thank you for the giveaway.
No need to enter me, but I definitely want to read this one. I’ve had it for a long time and just haven’t had a chance to get to it. It sounds like an inspiring story!
Would love a copy to share with the tinkering-inclined & Africa-loving kids in my family. Thanks!
a learning experience withouth the class and homework!
sounds great
thanks for the chance
Another good book club choice – that’s all I need to hear!
I’d love to try for this book! sounds great!
Great review! This is a great book that should be added to high school reading lists. It would be a great teaching tool. I, too, love windmills!
I’d love it. Thank you for the giveaway.
This book sounds lovely. I’d love the chance to win! Thanks,
Theresa
I think if it were chosen for a book club it might lead members to discuss times when they’ve faced challenges and overcome them, or to share other inspiring stories like this that they may have heard on the news, etc. Plus it sound like an overall enjoyable read!
Thanks for being a part of the tour – I can’t wait to read this one myself.
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