4.11 AVERAGE

inspiring reflective slow-paced
hopeful informative inspiring medium-paced

Great message about learning and inventions, could have used more details in the information.

It was Okay, I liked it. I may not have read it by myself, the only reason I read this book was because of school. I'm going to read it again because of school :)

Edit:
I actually like it more now. I think I was coming of such a big book high, where I had read books that I loved. And to then come to a genre I don't usually like to read, maybe put me off. But now that I am working with it again I love it, the story is really good. I recommend everyone to read it!
emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

“I try, and I made it”

As a young teenager, William Kamkwamba built a functioning windmill to provide power to his family’s house in the village of Wimbe, Malawi. Building the windmill largely out of junkyard materials, he gained the attention of local journalists and reporters, and eventually news of this windmill built by a boy who never completed secondary school traveled around the world, leading to the sensation that is The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind

I loaned this one out from my library, and when I received it I realized that I was given the Young Reader’s edition rather than the adult version of the book. Rather than trading it in and getting the correct version, I decided to try it out.

I found this memoir (?) to be inspiring, highlighting the spirit of determination of a boy to provide for his family. In the manner that it was written, I would say that this book tells William’s story in a manner that is accessible for young readers, and addresses “difficult” topics such as famine and government toil leading in an easy, understandable matter for the young mind.

This book touched a lot on the culture of Wimbe, Malawi and the environment that William was raised in, which I enjoyed a lot. As a 22 year old who considers herself pretty aware, this book gave me a perspective on how famine intimately affects a population in a manner that I had never experienced or really had the capacity to understand as a White woman living with privileges to food access and affordability in the United States, and I think that it’s important that materials such as this book exists to teach children the realities of how some people don’t have food or money or resources to take advantage of.

I will admit, when reading about the process of building a windmill, I did find myself skimming over the passages, as I have a hard time visualizing the building process that was often being described. Other than that, I thoroughly enjoyed learning about William Kamkwamba’s young life and village in Malawi.

This book is a timeless resource and if you have yet to read it or watch the movie, I encourage you to pick it up. I promise you you’ll put it down feeling inspired and like you learned something new.
hopeful informative inspiring medium-paced

Powerful story but the writing style was so staccato I had trouble staying interested.

Fantastic! What an incredible story. William Kamkwamba's life journey is amazing. I strongly recommend this for high school students and adults. It is a story of science, technology, education, libraries, innovation, famine, power, politics, struggle, and success.

A wonderful tale of ingenuity and hard work.