The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: Creating Currents of Electricity and Hope,   ISBN:9780061730320

Customer Rating: 

Enthralled the entire time - not only is the innovation and science in spite of his (seemingly) limited opportunity fascinating, but the other stories- about his family, his culture, and his history- are funny, charming, and highly entertaining.

Customer Rating: 

Disclosure - I'm married to an engineer. So I've often heard discussions about the best schools for engineers, the best countries to find an engineer in, the difference between a 'born' engineer and a person who goes into engineering as a career choice. The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind is firmly in the 'born' camp. There is no doubt that William Kamkwamba has a scientific mind. Few boys could teach themselves the concepts of electrical engineering and then hold complete faith in their ability to execute a practical application of those concepts. This story is being sold as inspiring, because of the dream William has and his determination to realize it. What spoke to me even more was the strength of his family. Without his cousin, his friends, and most importantly his father, William would not have been able to pursue his dream. It is the ability of his family to support each other despite (to a western reader) unimaginable hardship that allows William's inborn talents to emerge. The early story of William's family and his childhood (Who knew they play "America & Vietnam" in Africa?) carry you through the involved descriptions of his creations.

I dropped one star from my review because some of those descriptions will drag on for the non-science minded. An explanation of the differences between AC and DC currents is never going to hold my interest, no matter how compelling the speaker. Additionally, some of the 'voice' shifts from what seems to be William's authentic speech to an older 'voice' someone with a bit more distance and perspective than William likely has at his current age. That is the pitfall of a joint collaboration where only one member of the team serves as narrator. The ending feels a bit rushed - you want to know more about William's experiences as he was brought into the community of scientists. (There's a pitfall in making him appear less accomplished than he is, of making the story into one about a country mouse in the city, so I do understand why this part of his tale is so short. ) That you have the desire to stay with William through the entire tale, from his birth through all the descriptions of his construction process to the end speaks both to the power of the writer and William Kamkwamba.

Well worth the time, and an excellent holiday gift book.

Customer Rating: 

This is a wonderful memoir about a boy from Malawi who built a windmill from scavenged parts and provided electricity for his home. Reading this memoir is like sitting across from William in a coffee shop, chatting about life. Raised in a terribly poor country, unable to afford schooling beyond the primary school in his village, William taught himself about windmills and electricity from books in the three shelf library in his town. This is a riveting story.

Customer Rating: 

An incredible journey of a boy who found a way to help his family and community live more prosperous lives. A must read - good feeling book.

Customer Rating: 

The title, as in many books, is a little misleading. I was expecting to get right into a story of the mechanics of a complicated wind- mill system developed by a young man. I stayed with the book, however, on the lesson to always read at least the first 100 pages of a book before you decide not to complete reading it. I am glad I did. The story got better and better to where I could not put the book down. The writing was very good, although it did not sound in the voice of Kamkwamba, rather the voice of Mealer. However, it was very easy to read, and a great story, I would recommend this book to anybody - fiction and non-fiction readers.