Sunday, January 1, 2017

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind - Engaging Nonfiction for Adolescents 2

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


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This is the youth version of the original adult book. Having read them both I recommend this one as an engrossing account that tells the complete story. The story of William Kamkwamba is inspiring for so many reasons: his determination to go to school, his intelligence to build a windmill based upon an old textbook and scraps from a junkyard, his drive to help his family and community. Here is a story of a boy who faced poverty, drought, and minimal opportunities yet who shows us that we can accomplish goals despite poor odds.




Here is a link to his website.
http://williamkamkwamba.typepad.com/williamkamkwamba/book.html

I copied his story from this site below. Also on the site is a link to the feature length documentary entitled "William and the Windmill,"  a list of reviews by notable people, and links to his TED talks, first in 2007 in Tanzania, and then in 2009 in Oxford, England. I was so happy for him when his invention worked! Then I found it so satisfying to read how he got discovered, mentored, and catapulted on an adventure to leave his country and speak at a TED talk in an environment so much beyond what he had ever seen in his village. I'm sure readers will enjoy following his story as much as I did.

Facebook page on the Young Readers Edition:
https://www.facebook.com/The-Boy-Who-Harnessed-The-Wind-Young-Readers-Edition-276356732417357/

from the website:
"William Kamkwamba was born in Malawi, a country where magic ruled and modern science was mystery. It was also a land withered by drought and hunger, and a place where hope and opportunity were hard to find. But William had read about windmills in a book called Using Energy, and he dreamed of building one that would bring electricity and water to his village and change his life and the lives of those around him. His neighbors may have mocked him and called him misala--crazy--but William was determined to show them what a little grit and ingenuity could do.
Enchanted by the workings of electricity as a boy, William had a goal to study science in Malawi's top boarding schools. But in 2002, his country was stricken with a famine that left his family's farm devastated and his parents destitute. Unable to pay the eighty-dollar-a-year tuition for his education, William was forced to drop out and help his family forage for food as thousands across the country starved and died.
Yet William refused to let go of his dreams. With nothing more than a fistful of cornmeal in his stomach, a small pile of once-forgotten science textbooks, and an armory of curiosity and determination, he embarked on a daring plan to bring his family a set of luxuries that only two percent of Malawians could afford and what the West considers a necessity--electricity and running water. Using scrap metal, tractor parts, and bicycle halves, William forged a crude yet operable windmill, an unlikely contraption and small miracle that eventually powered four lights, complete with homemade switches and a circuit breaker made from nails and wire. A second machine turned a water pump that could battle the drought and famine that loomed with every season.
Soon, news of William's magetsi a mphepo--his "electric wind"--spread beyond the borders of his home, and the boy who was once called crazy became an inspiration to those around the world.
Here is the remarkable story about human inventiveness and its power to overcome crippling adversity. The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind will inspire anyone who doubts the power of one individual's ability to change his community and better the lives of those around him. 
William Kamkwamba was born in Malawi, a country where magic ruled and modern science was mystery. It was also a land withered by drought and hunger, and a place where hope and opportunity were hard to find. But William had read about windmills in a book called Using Energy, and he dreamed of building one that would bring electricity and water to his village and change his life and the lives of those around him. His neighbors may have mocked him and called him misala--crazy--but William was determined to show them what a little grit and ingenuity could do.
Enchanted by the workings of electricity as a boy, William had a goal to study science in Malawi's top boarding schools. But in 2002, his country was stricken with a famine that left his family's farm devastated and his parents destitute. Unable to pay the eighty-dollar-a-year tuition for his education, William was forced to drop out and help his family forage for food as thousands across the country starved and died.
Yet William refused to let go of his dreams. With nothing more than a fistful of cornmeal in his stomach, a small pile of once-forgotten science textbooks, and an armory of curiosity and determination, he embarked on a daring plan to bring his family a set of luxuries that only two percent of Malawians could afford and what the West considers a necessity--electricity and running water. Using scrap metal, tractor parts, and bicycle halves, William forged a crude yet operable windmill, an unlikely contraption and small miracle that eventually powered four lights, complete with homemade switches and a circuit breaker made from nails and wire. A second machine turned a water pump that could battle the drought and famine that loomed with every season.
Soon, news of William's magetsi a mphepo--his "electric wind"--spread beyond the borders of his home, and the boy who was once called crazy became an inspiration to those around the world.
Here is the remarkable story about human inventiveness and its power to overcome crippling adversity. The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind will inspire anyone who doubts the power of one individual's ability to change his community and better the lives of those around him." 
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Other titles reviewed in this series of recommendations
The Glass Castle - Jeannette Walls
Rocket Boys - Homer Hickam
Death Be Not Proud - John Gunther
The Boys in the Boat - Daniel James Brown
Who is Malala Yousafzai?   Dinah Brown
Who is Jane Goodall? – Roberta Edwards
The Land I Lost - Quang Nhuog Huynh
Code Talker - Joseph Bruchac