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fbroom's review against another edition
4.0
William is a curious kid, being poor didn't stop him from achieving his goals and dreams. He persisted and tried harder and harder month after month to collect all the pieces and all the knowledge he needed to make his windmill. He should definitely be an inspiration for us all.
stormblessedsonofthrain's review against another edition
5.0
This was one of the best books I have ever read
ktembreull's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
sad
medium-paced
4.0
marde_reads's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
slow-paced
3.75
maren_hemsath's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
hollandvk's review against another edition
5.0
I love reading about how he learned (and applied) each new science principle. This book highlights the importance of libraries and accessibility to information.
erintowner's review against another edition
5.0
This was so lovely! Uplifting without being inspiration porn.
book_concierge's review against another edition
4.0
Subtitle: Creating Currents of Electricity and Hope
This is the memoir of an extraordinary young man, the son of a Malawian farmer, struggling in poverty and through famine and drought, but following the spark of inspiration, his own thirst for knowledge, and a desire to help his family and community. William saw a need and thought, “What if?” As he explained to a TED conference, “I tried, and I made it.”
What he did was electrify his family home with his makeshift windmill, constructed from miscellaneous parts he scavenged from a scrapyard. Unable to attend school because his parents lacked the funds to pay tuition, William relied on the library, and one specific book on physics which he read over and over and over again. He did not despair that he lacked this or that device or material, rather he saw possibilities in the least likely bits and pieces. And he remained focused on his goal of improving his family’s life and ability to succeed.
Brian Mealer co-authored the memoir, as Kamkwamba’s English was pretty basic at the time he sat down to tell his story. Still, it’s not the best-written book I’ve read, but the emotion of the story is what elevates it, in my opinion.
His story is inspiring and uplifting. Bravo!
(Note: There is also a young adult edition of his memoir, which, I assume, has less of the technical science / engineering in it. In his life, Kamkwamba has since gone one to graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Studies from Dartmouth College. He continues to work to improve the lives of his countrymen.)
This is the memoir of an extraordinary young man, the son of a Malawian farmer, struggling in poverty and through famine and drought, but following the spark of inspiration, his own thirst for knowledge, and a desire to help his family and community. William saw a need and thought, “What if?” As he explained to a TED conference, “I tried, and I made it.”
What he did was electrify his family home with his makeshift windmill, constructed from miscellaneous parts he scavenged from a scrapyard. Unable to attend school because his parents lacked the funds to pay tuition, William relied on the library, and one specific book on physics which he read over and over and over again. He did not despair that he lacked this or that device or material, rather he saw possibilities in the least likely bits and pieces. And he remained focused on his goal of improving his family’s life and ability to succeed.
Brian Mealer co-authored the memoir, as Kamkwamba’s English was pretty basic at the time he sat down to tell his story. Still, it’s not the best-written book I’ve read, but the emotion of the story is what elevates it, in my opinion.
His story is inspiring and uplifting. Bravo!
(Note: There is also a young adult edition of his memoir, which, I assume, has less of the technical science / engineering in it. In his life, Kamkwamba has since gone one to graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Studies from Dartmouth College. He continues to work to improve the lives of his countrymen.)
sonialusiveira's review against another edition
3.0
2,5 stars.
“I went to sleep dreaming of Malawi, and all the things made possible when your dreams are powered by your heart.”
“Thinking of them reminds me of a quote I read recently from the great Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. that says, "If you can't fly, run; if you can't run, walk; if you can't walk, crawl." We must encourage those still struggling to keep moving forward.”
I first came across William Kamkwamba's story was by watching the movie on Netflix which was good but left me wanting to read the book because it feels like the movie was missing some important details. But lo and behold, apart from the technicalities of building the windmill, the book didn't offer much about William's life until about the last third of the book. I feel like even the famine and the political situations in Malawi were best demonstrated in the movie compared to the description in the book. I was listening to the audiobook so not sure if it's the accent or the writing itself, but the book was so tedious, I had to force myself to finish. If I was reading it, I'm sure I'd have dnf it even before I'm halfway through. All these aside, William's tenacity and self motivation is very admirable.
“I went to sleep dreaming of Malawi, and all the things made possible when your dreams are powered by your heart.”
“Thinking of them reminds me of a quote I read recently from the great Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. that says, "If you can't fly, run; if you can't run, walk; if you can't walk, crawl." We must encourage those still struggling to keep moving forward.”
I first came across William Kamkwamba's story was by watching the movie on Netflix which was good but left me wanting to read the book because it feels like the movie was missing some important details. But lo and behold, apart from the technicalities of building the windmill, the book didn't offer much about William's life until about the last third of the book. I feel like even the famine and the political situations in Malawi were best demonstrated in the movie compared to the description in the book. I was listening to the audiobook so not sure if it's the accent or the writing itself, but the book was so tedious, I had to force myself to finish. If I was reading it, I'm sure I'd have dnf it even before I'm halfway through. All these aside, William's tenacity and self motivation is very admirable.