You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.11 AVERAGE
4.11 AVERAGE
It was really interesting to read about Williams life but when the science-y parts came up, it became really tedious to read.
read for: 9th grade summer reading
read for: 9th grade summer reading
adventurous
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
My four stars are more for William Kamkwamba, his family, and their resilience than for the book.
(My reviews are intended for my own info as a language arts teacher: they serve as notes and reflections for teaching and recommending to students. Therefore, spoilers may be present.)
SUMMARY: William Kamkwamba tells the amazing story of his own life and accomplishments against all odds in The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind. The narration begins with Kamkwamba's family and cultural background. I realized how little to nothing I know about Africa, as I read about William's tales of witch doctors, extreme poverty, starvation, malaria (as a common illness), the AIDS stigma, government, and all the other elements that made up his everyday existence. I enjoyed his informal, conversational narration style, and it made reading about Kamkwamba's experiences all the more personal. This also made reading about his and his family's survival through a famine painful and heartbreaking. New government leadership and a drought created a situation in which the already-struggling farm family (Kamkwamba says everyone in Malawi is either a farmer or trader) stopped making any sort of maize profit and were lucky to get even three bites of nsima (a dough-like, barely substantial, corn-based meal) a day. Through the midst of this rampant devastation and starvation, Kamkwamba was ready for secondary school...which required tuition. He was forced to drop out a few times, so, when the planting season got back underway in more optimal conditions, he began visiting a local library to read up on science topics. Kamkwamba became especially intrigued by the idea of building a windmill, which he deemed "electric wind", that could power lights in his home (and eliminate the need to go to bed by 7 pm!) and possibly fuel an irrigation system. And so, in Kamkwamba's own words, he "try, and [he] made it! (268)" He scoured the town dump for materials to construct a windmill and persisted despite teasing, time demands of harvesting, and even accusations of witchcraft/wizardry. Friends Geoffrey and Gilbert eventually helped him assemble the structure and Kamkwamba soon successfully wired lighting into his home! The remainder of his memoir follows Kamkwamba through recognition by African businessmen, as well as innovators throughout the world. I should know better than this (it's true life, after all), but I was surprised that living and education conditions didn't immediately change for Kamkwamba or his family. In fact, many schools didn't want Kamkwamba as a student because of his age and frequent, although not on-purpose, dropouts. The positive things that did end up going Kamkwamba's way were totally inspiring to read about, and I think any reader would find a lot to cheer and smile about in the end.
READABILITY: The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind would make an excellent read for middle schoolers. It has obvious science connections (which, embarrassingly, lost me at times), as well as geography/cultural connections. Most importantly, though, it's just a really uplifting, well-written book. It is in the memoir genre and has a lexile of 960.
LITERARY ELEMENTS: Students would benefit from examining Kamkwamba's light narration style. At times, the narration trails another character (his father two or three times, I think), which could be discussed. Explaining processes, incorporating other languages, and making connections to readers are other writing lessons to be gleaned from The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind.
SUMMARY: William Kamkwamba tells the amazing story of his own life and accomplishments against all odds in The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind. The narration begins with Kamkwamba's family and cultural background. I realized how little to nothing I know about Africa, as I read about William's tales of witch doctors, extreme poverty, starvation, malaria (as a common illness), the AIDS stigma, government, and all the other elements that made up his everyday existence. I enjoyed his informal, conversational narration style, and it made reading about Kamkwamba's experiences all the more personal. This also made reading about his and his family's survival through a famine painful and heartbreaking. New government leadership and a drought created a situation in which the already-struggling farm family (Kamkwamba says everyone in Malawi is either a farmer or trader) stopped making any sort of maize profit and were lucky to get even three bites of nsima (a dough-like, barely substantial, corn-based meal) a day. Through the midst of this rampant devastation and starvation, Kamkwamba was ready for secondary school...which required tuition. He was forced to drop out a few times, so, when the planting season got back underway in more optimal conditions, he began visiting a local library to read up on science topics. Kamkwamba became especially intrigued by the idea of building a windmill, which he deemed "electric wind", that could power lights in his home (and eliminate the need to go to bed by 7 pm!) and possibly fuel an irrigation system. And so, in Kamkwamba's own words, he "try, and [he] made it! (268)" He scoured the town dump for materials to construct a windmill and persisted despite teasing, time demands of harvesting, and even accusations of witchcraft/wizardry. Friends Geoffrey and Gilbert eventually helped him assemble the structure and Kamkwamba soon successfully wired lighting into his home! The remainder of his memoir follows Kamkwamba through recognition by African businessmen, as well as innovators throughout the world. I should know better than this (it's true life, after all), but I was surprised that living and education conditions didn't immediately change for Kamkwamba or his family. In fact, many schools didn't want Kamkwamba as a student because of his age and frequent, although not on-purpose, dropouts. The positive things that did end up going Kamkwamba's way were totally inspiring to read about, and I think any reader would find a lot to cheer and smile about in the end.
READABILITY: The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind would make an excellent read for middle schoolers. It has obvious science connections (which, embarrassingly, lost me at times), as well as geography/cultural connections. Most importantly, though, it's just a really uplifting, well-written book. It is in the memoir genre and has a lexile of 960.
LITERARY ELEMENTS: Students would benefit from examining Kamkwamba's light narration style. At times, the narration trails another character (his father two or three times, I think), which could be discussed. Explaining processes, incorporating other languages, and making connections to readers are other writing lessons to be gleaned from The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind.
Inspiring. I loved the parts where he described how he learned, and figured out the apparatus. I also appreciated hearing about loving through famine - very eye opening. My only complaint was that it could have done with a bit of editing.
Wow! What a story, William brings life in Malawi to vivid life. I felt like a friend being brought into his home and sharing his story with him, all the fears, the hard times, and the triumphs. It has lit a fire in me, making me wonder, what can I do? How can I help enough to make it possible for Africans all over the continent to make Africa great, while not getting in the way and hindering progress. What a story, what a life. I understand why it made the UMW reading list, you can't read this book without wanting to rise to its challenges.