Book Review: The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer

William Kamkwamba grew up in a small town in Malawi. The town's marketplace has electricity, most of the time, but the farms are too far out and too poor to be wired up. People would come into town to charge their cell phones, sometimes at businesses that ran power cords from the shop to a table on the street. The local primary school was okay. Getting a secondary-school education meant paying a lot of money and walking to schools far away. As William grew up, one summer of bad weather ruined his father's crops (maize for sustenance, tobacco for profit), along with everyone else's. The government had sold off its surplus and provided no help. A slow and devastating famine swallowed up lives and hope. Money was short and William couldn't continue his education.

But it didn't stop him from learning. He was a tinkerer, playing with radios and whatever was at hand. He discovered some scientific text books at the local primary school's library (which had three shelves of books). In the books, he saw windmills. William was fascinated by the idea of providing electricity for his family and maybe a water pump for the farm so that a drought wouldn't ever wipe them out again. He began to experiment; he rummaged through scrap piles for parts; he dreamed of a better life for himself, his family, and his country.

Happily, his dreams came true after going through many hardships. In addition to the famine that cost so many lives, he had to deal with friends and neighbors who thought he was crazy. All the perseverance and ingenuity paid off when he built his first windmill from some bicycle parts, some PVC pipe, and an assortment of spare parts. And a lot of help from friends and others. His story is a personal triumph but also one that shows the support and love he received along the way.

The book is very inspiring and well worth reading. It gives a glimpse into sub-Saharan life and into the ambition that we all could have. William was not particularly talented but he did work very hard to achieve his dreams, in spite of the challenges he faced.

Recommended.