The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: Creating Currents of Electricity and Hope by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer
For most of the last hour (of 10+ hours) of listening to an effusive, lilting Chike Johnson read to me William Kamkwamba‘s phenomenal life story, I wore the goofiest grin on my face. Surely fellow drivers passing me by wondered what sort of gleeful idiot they were sharing the road with, as we skidded around in the aftermath of the 2010 Snowpocalypse. But I would wager that no one can possibly read (or listen to) this memorable survive-and-thrive story without finding relief and joy at happy endings – or happy beginnings, in this real life case.
Kamkwamba’s native Malawi has lately been in the news too often for the exploits of fame-seekers like Madonna (whose motives might be heartfelt, but perhaps a bit misguided), her adoptions, and most recently the school she’s helping fund. Far more inspiring is one Malawi boy’s story of overcoming impossible conditions – starvation, lack of education, basic resources, political upheaval, and collective trauma – to become the ‘Don Quixote of Africa.’
More than chasing windmills, Kamkwamba, out of school at age 14 because his parents could no longer afford his meager school fees, built his own windmill using library books, salvaged garbage, and pure unwavering determination to provide electricity first for his room, then the rest of his home, and eventually his entire village. And, in the process, he became not just a local hero, but an international phenomenon as a 2007 TEDGLOBAL Fellow. Kamkwamba’s simple explanation on how he made the windmill, “I try, and I made it,” becomes a motto for TED 2007.
“‘Africans bend what little they have to their will every day. Using creativity, they overcome Africa’s challenges. Where the world sees trash, Africa recycles. Where the world sees junk, Africa sees rebirth,'” Kamkwamba quotes a new friend as he recounts how many of his young fellow Africans are inventing powerful new ways to make life better throughout the African continent. His joyful devotion and utter pride in the potential of his country and all of Africa is thoroughly contagious – and you can’t help but cheer and believe that great changes are coming for impoverished communities with Kamkwamba’s young generation’s imaginative and practical plans.
Readers: Young Adult, Adult
Published: 2009
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