shirleytupperfreeman 's review for:

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: Creating Currents of Electricity and Hope by William Kamkwamba

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I liked this one. It's written in the first person by a journalist who was told the story by William Kamkwamba from Malawi. The first half of the book is a description of William's life as a child and young teen - including vivid descriptions of the horrifying 2 year famine he survived. The second half tells the story of William's ingenuity and incredible persistence in building a windmill (by studying books written in English - which he didn't speak) from parts dug out of a dump. Very inspirational -- people like William are the hope for Africa. You can hear a great interview with William on the Oct. 4,2009 version of the Diane Rehm show (drshow.org)