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4.11 AVERAGE
4.11 AVERAGE
William Kamkwamba is a Malawian boy who is fascinated by science. His farming family wants him to continue his education past roughly the elementary level but they just don’t have the tuition money after a famine spreads across the country. As the famine worsens, families who have even a few bites of food each day are considered fortunate. Life gets harder and harder.
Eventually the famine does start to ease and William begins visiting the library regularly. He finds a couple of physics books and becomes fascinated with the idea of wind power. He looks around his village, collects mechanical “junk,” and starts to literally build a better life for his family and his village.
What an inspirational story! William and his family have almost nothing by Western standards but they do have each other. William has dreams and the willingness to teach himself and try. That takes him farther than he could even imagine.
The part describing the famine was extremely difficult to read. People starve on the roadsides. Pets must fend for themselves or die. No one can think about anything except hunger. Corrupt politicians make the situation so much worse than it had to be. Government thugs punish local leaders who speak out against the corruption. It’s an unimaginable situation. This section takes up about half the book, so readers who are sensitive to these kinds of things might want to steer clear. It feels important to read though because most Westerners truly can’t conceive of what a famine is like. I know I have a better appreciation now for my local grocery stores and farmers markets.
William persists in his dreams and his self-education despite all the adversity he faces. He truly believes he can make a difference and make life easier for his family. He patiently collects what he needs and one of his best friends, the village chief’s son, believes in William enough to give him the money for parts he has to buy. We don’t all have William’s ingenuity, but we can all help dreamers, even if it’s just by having faith in them.
The edition of the book that I read had an afterward to update us on William’s life as of 2016. He’s come so far and invented so many things that make life easier for innumerable people. I’m proud of a man I’ve never even met. He proves that one person can make a difference to a lot of people. He’s also quick to point out that a lot of benefactors have helped him on his path, proving again that we can all contribute in some way to building a better world.
Some of the content is going to be difficult for some readers but ultimately, this book is brimming with hope and the affirmation that one person can change the world. Highly recommended.
Eventually the famine does start to ease and William begins visiting the library regularly. He finds a couple of physics books and becomes fascinated with the idea of wind power. He looks around his village, collects mechanical “junk,” and starts to literally build a better life for his family and his village.
What an inspirational story! William and his family have almost nothing by Western standards but they do have each other. William has dreams and the willingness to teach himself and try. That takes him farther than he could even imagine.
The part describing the famine was extremely difficult to read. People starve on the roadsides. Pets must fend for themselves or die. No one can think about anything except hunger. Corrupt politicians make the situation so much worse than it had to be. Government thugs punish local leaders who speak out against the corruption. It’s an unimaginable situation. This section takes up about half the book, so readers who are sensitive to these kinds of things might want to steer clear. It feels important to read though because most Westerners truly can’t conceive of what a famine is like. I know I have a better appreciation now for my local grocery stores and farmers markets.
William persists in his dreams and his self-education despite all the adversity he faces. He truly believes he can make a difference and make life easier for his family. He patiently collects what he needs and one of his best friends, the village chief’s son, believes in William enough to give him the money for parts he has to buy. We don’t all have William’s ingenuity, but we can all help dreamers, even if it’s just by having faith in them.
The edition of the book that I read had an afterward to update us on William’s life as of 2016. He’s come so far and invented so many things that make life easier for innumerable people. I’m proud of a man I’ve never even met. He proves that one person can make a difference to a lot of people. He’s also quick to point out that a lot of benefactors have helped him on his path, proving again that we can all contribute in some way to building a better world.
Some of the content is going to be difficult for some readers but ultimately, this book is brimming with hope and the affirmation that one person can change the world. Highly recommended.
I liked this one. It's written in the first person by a journalist who was told the story by William Kamkwamba from Malawi. The first half of the book is a description of William's life as a child and young teen - including vivid descriptions of the horrifying 2 year famine he survived. The second half tells the story of William's ingenuity and incredible persistence in building a windmill (by studying books written in English - which he didn't speak) from parts dug out of a dump. Very inspirational -- people like William are the hope for Africa. You can hear a great interview with William on the Oct. 4,2009 version of the Diane Rehm show (drshow.org)
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
Quite an inspirational read! This young man is amazing!
a wonderful book showing what we have lost through poverty and famine and the story of one boy's determination to overcome through science and ingenuity.
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
An amazing, touching, and inspiring story about a boy who grew up in a village in Malawi, who, despite poverty and famine and other challenges, managed to self-taught himself to build a windmill and generate electricity for his house.
In this book we follow William from his childhood, being introduced slowly to the Malawi culture, then to his family—the farm and its challenges, including the heartbreaking famine that hit Malawi in 2002. After the famine, his family didn't have any money left to keep William at school, but instead of being discouraged, William conducted a self-study in the local library and nurtured his innate curiosity about how things work. With trials and errors he managed to build the windmill that later changed his life.
In this book we follow William from his childhood, being introduced slowly to the Malawi culture, then to his family—the farm and its challenges, including the heartbreaking famine that hit Malawi in 2002. After the famine, his family didn't have any money left to keep William at school, but instead of being discouraged, William conducted a self-study in the local library and nurtured his innate curiosity about how things work. With trials and errors he managed to build the windmill that later changed his life.
emotional
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
Marvelously memoir of an amazing kid !! Extremely inspiring !!!