The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind

The Boy Who Harnessed the WindIn contrast with my previous post, on finishing Goldfinger, I picked up this book – The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind, and read it cover to cover in two days. It tells the story of William Kamkwamba, from Malawi, and how he built – from scrap and spare parts – a working wind turbine for his family. The story takes him from his childhood, helping his father grow maize and tobacco, through his desire to learn and understand how things work, despite having to leave school due to the fees required, to the genesis of his first windmill, ending with him travelling throughout Africa (and the world) to speak on bringing technology to emerging countries.

Written with author Bryan Mealer, the book nevertheless captures William Kamkwamba’s voice, and is a great read.

One Comment

  1. April 9, 2010
    Reply

    I read about that, I unremember whether it was a review of the book or about the original story. It’s on my “to get and read when I’ve got through all the other things in front of it in the queue” list. Thanks for the recommendation.

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