From the Bookshelf of Around the World in 80 Books…

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

William Kamkwamba,

Bryan Mealer

Start date: September 15, 2018

Finish date: October 15, 2018

Discussion: Group Reads Discussions

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By Diane , Armchair Tour Guide · 3 posts · 1369 views

last updated Jan 18, 2013 07:12PM

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What Members Thought

Apr 02, 2013 Beverly rated it liked it

My thoughts:
• There is no doubt that this is a very inspirational story of what intelligence, determination, imagination, a positive attitude of hope and a little help from your friends can prove to be powerful motivators even under dire circumstances.
• This book is divided into three parts:
o The first part describes the rural culture, economy and history of Malawi as through the eyes of William (narrator) and how this affected him, his family and his friends
o This was the most interesting part My thoughts:
• There is no doubt that this is a very inspirational story of what intelligence, determination, imagination, a positive attitude of hope and a little help from your friends can prove to be powerful motivators even under dire circumstances.
• This book is divided into three parts:
o The first part describes the rural culture, economy and history of Malawi as through the eyes of William (narrator) and how this affected him, his family and his friends
o This was the most interesting part of me as I got an understanding of Malawi
o This section also shows how William’s strong family unit, his father’s strong presence provided a strong sense of worth and his expectations for his children, his parents ability to not let their moral/ethical standards be demoralize during the time of famines provided the foundation to be optimistic during the hard times.
• The second part tells the story of how William came to built a windmill and provide improvements to his living conditions
o Necessity is the mother of invention and William’s natural curiosity along with his natural intelligence to decipher scientific principles based on limited knowledge shows the importance of providing educational instruction to all.
o William built the windmill for stuff most of us would consider “trash” and do not give a second thought to throwing away.
• The third part was about others finding out William’s invention, their support of him and the world finding out about his accomplishments
o I am glad William got the attention of others who provided the necessary opportunities to him to receive his acclaim and to further his studies and develop his talent.
o It is obvious on how easy he could have been overlooked – and thus having to assume the role of being a farmer living from one planting cycle to the next
o Liked the description of how witchcraft was directed to William as the cause of the famine
o Disappointing that when initially his talent and accomplishments was brought to the attention of the education ministry that they dismissed him and he still had difficulty getting a position in a science-based secondary school. Note: William is currently enrolled in Dartmouth (Class of 2013)
• William’s personality definitely shines through on the pages.
• While this is an inspiration story for me the details of the building of the windmill and his thinking through of the details and the exploration of the scientific principles was a overdone and I found my attention wandering through the second half of the book.
• William deserves all of the accolades and opportunities he has received so far and I enjoyed learning how he has provided for his family, and friends and wants to not only help them with their dreams but also his country.
• This book felt me wondering how many more “Williams” are out there – that may not have not have an opportunity to showcase their talent.
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Oct 19, 2015 Karen rated it really liked it

Shelves: travel-the-world

William Kamkwamba grew up in a small village in Malawi, that had no running water or electricity. He finished primary school, but because of a famine that ravaged Malawi when he was to enter secondary school, his family could not afford to send him to school. He spent his time in the tiny local library, and he found a book on physics that helped him to learn how to make a windmill.

I really liked this book, and very inspired by it. William always wanted to know how things worked and why. He love ...more

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Jul 06, 2023 Jen Pratt rated it really liked it

The life story of William, the boy who harnessed the wind is remarkable. The telling dragged a bit in parts, but was overall very interesting and inspiring.

William was born into poverty in Malawi. His father was a farmer and he had to drop out of school because they couldn’t afford the fees. Then there was a famine and some of his friends died. They managed to survive and William hoped to return to school. He started checking out books at the library to catch up his studies. They still couldn’t ...more

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Dec 28, 2022 Nina ( picturetalk321 ) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 4-star, author-black, author-man, genre-memoir, world-malawi, theme-education, z-read-gelesen-2022, author-ghostwriter

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Feb 27, 2013 Sera rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, biography-memoir, own, non-fiction, kindle

What a wonderful read! Kamkwamba truly is an inspirational young man who depicts what one person can accomplish if s/he has the passion, grit and self-confidence to do so. I also enjoyed learning more about Africa, and in particular, Malawi. In the US, we really do for granted the benefits of having clean water, food and electricity.

I would highly recommend this book. It's an easy, interesting and fast-paced read. ...more

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