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4.11 AVERAGE
4.11 AVERAGE
adventurous
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
tense
slow-paced
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
What an inspiring read this is! And honestly, it's one that makes me feel a little lazy and incompetent. Kamkwamba, who has to drop out of his first year of secondary school, due to a drought that has catapulted his farming family - his entire country - into starvation and abject poverty, resorts to the local primary school library, trying not to fall completely behind the kids his age who are able to stay on in school. In the library he finds a book about energy, and his inventive brain - the product of a boy who is desperate to be a scientist - uses the book, and the bits of scrap he can find in a local junkyard, to build a windmill that brings electricity to his home. It's absolutely incredible what he manages to accomplish with the most basic resources. Lacking a drill, for example, he forces a nail into a corncob and, using the cob as a handle, heats the nail in a fire, until it's hot and he can push it through metal.
Thankfully, by the end of the book his innovation has been recognised, and he's not only speaking at a TED talk, but has accrued enough sponsorship that he's able to continue his education. And while it's honestly terrible that he has to be a genius before he's allowed an education - think of all the kids who aren't nearly so lucky, but would still benefit enormously from the same - it's also such a relief to know that this amazing kid and his dream of being a scientist succeed in the end. Because if he didn't... what a criminal waste that would have been. (What a criminal waste it is for any kid to go without like this.)
Also, if this book isn't an argument for the necessity of libraries, I don't know what is.
Thankfully, by the end of the book his innovation has been recognised, and he's not only speaking at a TED talk, but has accrued enough sponsorship that he's able to continue his education. And while it's honestly terrible that he has to be a genius before he's allowed an education - think of all the kids who aren't nearly so lucky, but would still benefit enormously from the same - it's also such a relief to know that this amazing kid and his dream of being a scientist succeed in the end. Because if he didn't... what a criminal waste that would have been. (What a criminal waste it is for any kid to go without like this.)
Also, if this book isn't an argument for the necessity of libraries, I don't know what is.
I really love children's inspirational non-fiction.
It's great to see that he was able to create something to help him better his life.
Read this for inspiring young ones to be an engineer, Earth Day, renewable energy, and cultural diversity.
It's great to see that he was able to create something to help him better his life.
Read this for inspiring young ones to be an engineer, Earth Day, renewable energy, and cultural diversity.
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
Kamkwamba's story isn't one that's limited to his windmill, but is an personal account of his childhood, his culture, and his people. It's a tale where curiosity reigns and grows into something that ultimately benefits not only himself, but his community. From a harsh background of poor infrastructure, famine, and corrupt governments, his affinity for technology is remarkable and his humanity is inspiring. The language of the book is simple, but the intent of the book isn't to thrill readers with descriptive language; it uses Kamkwamba's life in Malawi to show readers just how bad life can become and how hopes, dreams, and determination might carry you through those times.
It's a heartwarming thought that there are people like Kamkwamba out there, those who haven't been quite as lucky as him to land in a spotlight, making the most of what they have to make life a little bit better for everyone.
It's a heartwarming thought that there are people like Kamkwamba out there, those who haven't been quite as lucky as him to land in a spotlight, making the most of what they have to make life a little bit better for everyone.
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
What an inspiration! This story, adapted for young readers, tells how William Kamkwamba, a young Malawian boy, used his creativity and initiative to lift his family - and others - out of poverty. When a nationwide famine made it impossible for his father to afford his school fees, William found knowledge in the tiny local library. With ideas and concepts he read about in science books, he started scavenging mechanical and electrical parts, and at 13 years old build an improvised windmill that produced electricity. Word spread, William gained mentors and sponsors, and eventually graduated from Dartmouth. He now works to improve life in Africa through basic technologies.
I loved his last paragraph: "Often people with the best ideas face the greatest challenges -- their country at war; a lack of money or education or the support of those around them. But like me, they choose to stay focused because that dream -- as far away as it seems -- is the truest and most hopeful thing they have. Think of your dreams and ideas as tiny miracle machines inside you that no one can touch. The more faith you put into them, the bigger they get, until one day they'll rise up and take you with them."
I loved his last paragraph: "Often people with the best ideas face the greatest challenges -- their country at war; a lack of money or education or the support of those around them. But like me, they choose to stay focused because that dream -- as far away as it seems -- is the truest and most hopeful thing they have. Think of your dreams and ideas as tiny miracle machines inside you that no one can touch. The more faith you put into them, the bigger they get, until one day they'll rise up and take you with them."
I always enjoy picture book biographies, particularly biographies like this, which I think are very inspirational. It almost makes me wish I had wanted to be an engineer instead of a librarian! (but not quite)