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blythebeary 's review for:
The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: Creating Currents of Electricity and Hope
by William Kamkwamba
This book should be required reading in school. It illustrates so many important aspects of our world that could benefit young people. How profoundly different someone's life is just because of where they were born. The hardships that third world nations face. Yet, how relatable they are on a human level. How the chasm between dreams and reality is a much smaller gap that it seems. That knowledge is power and curiosity is valid and that deeply held assumptions and beliefs should be challenged. The book set the scene and circumstances and stakes really well while maintaining the clear and relatable voice of a young boy with a good personality, in a family with clear values. In my opinion, it also gives the perfect amount of technical explanation, enough that you can understand basic concepts, but it's still clear you would need a thorough book to actually build your own windmill. This story is contemporary and it illustrates the adaptability, creativity and self-confidence needed to progress without waiting on institutions to provide. It emphasizes simple electric power that utilizes resources and energy that are natural and cheap (wind and sun) vs. relying on the impossibility of maintaining fossil fuel energy over time and with little money. This feels like an essential read. I want a future filled with people who were inspired on these levels.