The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind
- Downloads：4783
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-08-18 06:55:16
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：William Kamkwamba
- ISBN：0147510422
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
Now a Netflix film starring and directed by Chiwetel Ejiofor， this is a gripping memoir of survival and perseverance about the heroic young inventor who brought electricity to his Malawian village。
When a terrible drought struck William Kamkwamba's tiny village in Malawi， his family lost all of the season's crops， leaving them with nothing to eat and nothing to sell。 William began to explore science books in his village library， looking for a solution。 There， he came up with the idea that would change his family's life forever: he could build a windmill。 Made out of scrap metal and old bicycle parts， William's windmill brought electricity to his home and helped his family pump the water they needed to farm the land。
Retold for a younger audience， this exciting memoir shows how， even in a desperate situation， one boy's brilliant idea can light up the world。 Complete with photographs， illustrations， and an epilogue that will bring readers up to date on William's story， this is the perfect edition to read and share with the whole family。
When a terrible drought struck William Kamkwamba's tiny village in Malawi， his family lost all of the season's crops， leaving them with nothing to eat and nothing to sell。 William began to explore science books in his village library， looking for a solution。 There， he came up with the idea that would change his family's life forever: he could build a windmill。 Made out of scrap metal and old bicycle parts， William's windmill brought electricity to his home and helped his family pump the water they needed to farm the land。
Retold for a younger audience， this exciting memoir shows how， even in a desperate situation， one boy's brilliant idea can light up the world。 Complete with photographs， illustrations， and an epilogue that will bring readers up to date on William's story， this is the perfect edition to read and share with the whole family。
Reviews
Camila Terzian
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Sad and boring。
All Things Library
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Autobiographies and memoirs; Biographies; Books to movies; Narrative nonfiction for kids and teens; ScienceGrades 4-7NoveList Link:http://search。ebscohost。com/login。asp。。。 Autobiographies and memoirs; Biographies; Books to movies; Narrative nonfiction for kids and teens; ScienceGrades 4-7NoveList Link:http://search。ebscohost。com/login。asp。。。 。。。more
Rodney Chung
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I don't really like reading this book because the content is a bit boring。 In the story， it only talks about his everyday life and how poor is the country。 It does not have any exciting or remarkable moments included， which make me feel bored while I am reading it。 I think that the book should include more drawings or pictures to give the reader a better understanding of the plot。 I don't really like reading this book because the content is a bit boring。 In the story， it only talks about his everyday life and how poor is the country。 It does not have any exciting or remarkable moments included， which make me feel bored while I am reading it。 I think that the book should include more drawings or pictures to give the reader a better understanding of the plot。 。。。more
Maggonosmond
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I would recommend this book to everyone。 This is a wonderful true story of a boy in Africa who overcomes all the odds to build a wind-mill to help his family avoid starvation。 He crafts his wind-mill from junk collected in a junk yard。 This is a simple story that has the potential to inspire everyone who struggles。 I would love to use this book for a Book Club study for 7th grade students。
Maysan
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"。。。 En los buenos tiempos puedes hablar con franqueza de los malos" Inspiradora。 Un gran lección。 En lo que unos ven basura， otros ven oportunidades。 "。。。 En los buenos tiempos puedes hablar con franqueza de los malos" Inspiradora。 Un gran lección。 En lo que unos ven basura， otros ven oportunidades。 。。。more
Charlotte Chui Tsz Kiu
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 This book is about a boy named William， his child life was poor and his life was difficult。 William lived in Malawi， which Malawi is not as modern as Hong Kong， they don't have air conditioners in summer or heaters in winter。 In this story， William planned to make a windmill with his friend when he was small， but his mother thought he was just playing around and just making trashes， and the villagers didn't believe him and think he is naive， but when he succeeded to make a windmill， which it gen This book is about a boy named William， his child life was poor and his life was difficult。 William lived in Malawi， which Malawi is not as modern as Hong Kong， they don't have air conditioners in summer or heaters in winter。 In this story， William planned to make a windmill with his friend when he was small， but his mother thought he was just playing around and just making trashes， and the villagers didn't believe him and think he is naive， but when he succeeded to make a windmill， which it generates electricity when the wind blows， the villagers were so happy that they finally have electricity to cook， or to work。 I like this book because it makes me have more interest in science， I recommend this book to my friends because it is really interesting。 。。。more
Eunyse
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 It is an amazing book who can inspire people with dreams or exotic life’s。 If people who have no motivation or a dream， those people can read this book and learn from the main character William。 This book also records the true story of William’s road to success， how a boy living in a poor area helped his whole town！
Daisy
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind is a great book talking about the life of William Kamkwamba。 William was born in Malawi。 One day， a drought struck Malawi and the citizens suffered from famine。 William had an idea of building a windmill to help the crops in Malawi grow。 William didn’t have a chance to go to school during the famine as his family didn’t have enough money， so he decided to go to the library to read books about science so he can learn how to build a windmill。 At first， many people di The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind is a great book talking about the life of William Kamkwamba。 William was born in Malawi。 One day， a drought struck Malawi and the citizens suffered from famine。 William had an idea of building a windmill to help the crops in Malawi grow。 William didn’t have a chance to go to school during the famine as his family didn’t have enough money， so he decided to go to the library to read books about science so he can learn how to build a windmill。 At first， many people didn’t believe in William’s idea to build a windmill and made fun of his plan。 At the end， with William’s persistence and patience， he finally succeeded。I think this book is a great book and it can teach people that when others don’t believe in you， you must not give up and continue to do your best。 I would recommend this book to students as I think they can learn from William。 。。。more
aya
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what an inspiring story。 i got this as a bday present 2 yrs ago but i just started reading it this year — why didn’t i read this sooner？ this is so good， william is such an inspiration to african children。 i hope he is doing well。
Katie Bananas
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 This book was an incredible read; I absolutely love the audiobook for it！！！ It’s a beautiful way to describe patriotism and the love of one’s home country。 Kamkwamba’s love for physics is so pronounced; it’s infectious motivation to keep pushing to move forward。 Against all odds of the quotidian African life and traditions， specifically during hard times， he didn’t give up， regardless of all the bullying he experienced along the path to greatness。 Now， back to the U。S。 from an exceptional trip t This book was an incredible read; I absolutely love the audiobook for it！！！ It’s a beautiful way to describe patriotism and the love of one’s home country。 Kamkwamba’s love for physics is so pronounced; it’s infectious motivation to keep pushing to move forward。 Against all odds of the quotidian African life and traditions， specifically during hard times， he didn’t give up， regardless of all the bullying he experienced along the path to greatness。 Now， back to the U。S。 from an exceptional trip to Malawi 🇲🇼 with this exceptional memoir as my souvenir！！ 。。。more
Anjana Jha
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Loving it and near end ， this is our book club reading of this July month 。
Trigger Warning Database
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Trigger & Content WarningsSexismStarvationMurderAnimal deathDrought
Jessica River
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Great easy read。 This book gave me the good goosebumps！ Inspiring， thought-provoking， and filled me with awe at the amazing grit of this determined young boy。❤
Robin
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The true story of a teenager who lives through famine and poverty before building a windmill to bring electricity to his village。 An excellent combination of fun stories， family tragedy and inspiration。 It's really incredible what this young man was able to accomplish prior to a "proper" education and I will be following the Moving Windmills project closely。 The true story of a teenager who lives through famine and poverty before building a windmill to bring electricity to his village。 An excellent combination of fun stories， family tragedy and inspiration。 It's really incredible what this young man was able to accomplish prior to a "proper" education and I will be following the Moving Windmills project closely。 。。。more
Tammy Glaser
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This true story is a perfect living book for middle schoolers。 On the surface， William Kamkwamba appears to have the odds stacked against him。 His family farms in the poor， rural area of Malawi and his parents and six sisters nearly starved to death during a famine with cholera on its heels。 He had to drop out of secondary school because his parents could not afford tuition。 He helped support his family by working on the farm and picking up odd jobs。Undaunted， he haunted the nearest library to c This true story is a perfect living book for middle schoolers。 On the surface， William Kamkwamba appears to have the odds stacked against him。 His family farms in the poor， rural area of Malawi and his parents and six sisters nearly starved to death during a famine with cholera on its heels。 He had to drop out of secondary school because his parents could not afford tuition。 He helped support his family by working on the farm and picking up odd jobs。Undaunted， he haunted the nearest library to continue his education。 The books he enjoyed most were science books because he longed to know how things worked。 On the cover of one book was a picture of a wind turbine and it inspired him to build one。 He could make his family's life more comfortable by having light。 He could study after sun down and his parents and sisters could indoor chores。 As a children， William and his cousins collaborated to make things。 While he was the brains behind the operation， Gilbert and Geoffrey gave him moral and financial support。 He had to scavenge garbage dumps and pick up odd jobs to buy supplies。 He came up with clever ways to do without tools。 Everyone in town called him a madman was they watched this tower emerge behind William's house。 Finally， the day came to test his windmill。 Everybody cheered when they saw how his "electric wind" made a light bulb glow。Driven to make life better for his family， the 14-year-old put his inventive genius to work。 He wired the house with light bulbs。 He experimented with ways to store energy in a battery for calm days。 He made plans to build a water pump for the well， generate enough electricity to boil water， and irrigate the fields。 He helped anyone who wanted to learn how to do these things and he built a windmill for the primary school that he attended as a child。 That act of generosity changed his life for a school inspector was impressed by his ingenuity and leaked word to the media。 Life quickly changed for William--much was given to him so that he could graduate from Dartmouth College and he has given much to make life better for his family， his town， and his country。This book has a powerful message for young people:* Education and， when barriers bar that， self-education can be the means of building a better life， even in the most dire circumstances。 Books are a great resource for even the poorest community。* Tinkering and using one's hands to take apart are powerful ways to learn。 Simple objects can be recycled and repurposed to build new things。* Imagination and exploration can help thinkers overcome obstacles and come up with alternate ways to solve a problem。* Entrepreneurship， hard work， and persistence can also make a difference in the lives of the poor。* The parents were excellent guides for William。 His father adopted a wait-and-see attitude （masterly inactivity） when William was building the windmill。 During the lowest points of their life， their mother fostered a positive attitude and helped the children change their thoughts。* People of good will and people who have overcome poverty gladly support those who devote themselves to finding a way out。 It also has the marks of a living book。 The reader is immersed in another person’s story。 In doing so， the author teaches us about life in a very different land—beliefs， language， family， education， daily life， farming， and flora and fauna。 It shows how a budding scientist and entrepreneur grew up and made a difference。 。。。more
Amy
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Such an inspiring story of someone who didn't let difficult circumstances get in the way of doing great things！ Such an inspiring story of someone who didn't let difficult circumstances get in the way of doing great things！ 。。。more
Yvonne Crawford
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Loved this book
Jia Ying
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Ten strokes of genius complemented with a stroke of luck。This book tells the success story that saved Wimbe。 It opened my eyes to the world out there， a world of poverty and famine。 The description on hunger was vivid and graphical， so much so that I could see the starving people in my mind。 It also revised my long lost knowledge on high school physics， and showed how miracles come to those who deserved them。
EpicReader8
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This review is on The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer， and I also heard bits and pieces of the audiobook recorded by Chike Johnson。William Kamkwamba was born and raised in the poverty-stricken African country of Malawi alongside his many sisters， cousin Geoffrey， and best friend Gilbert。 When he's a young teenager， a drought leads to a devastating famine， killing many and leaving William and his family very hungry。 They can barely afford their next meal， let alon This review is on The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer， and I also heard bits and pieces of the audiobook recorded by Chike Johnson。William Kamkwamba was born and raised in the poverty-stricken African country of Malawi alongside his many sisters， cousin Geoffrey， and best friend Gilbert。 When he's a young teenager， a drought leads to a devastating famine， killing many and leaving William and his family very hungry。 They can barely afford their next meal， let alone tuition fees for William， so he is forced to drop out of school， even though he loves learning， especially about the way things work。 But William has an idea。 He wants to build a windmill that will bring electricity to his village， which he can use to power an irrigation system so they never run out of water and go hungry again。 All the odds are against him， but by making use of what he has， taking advantage of the local library， and never giving up， William knows he can accomplish his dream。I read this book for a class and never would have chosen to read it on my own， but it turned out to be an interesting read。 I can't imagine going through what William and his family did， and I love that one big message was the power of books and libraries。 Sometimes all the science talk made for some long chapters， but the authors wrote it really straightforward， so a reader interested in that sort of thing could easily follow along。 Also， Chapter 7 was really sad， although it's important to the plot of the book， and for that reason I think the youngest person who should read this book is a mature 10-year-old。 。。。more
Molly K
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This is a perfect book for my middle-school students to read to start off studying World History。
Lukas Schemmel
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Amazing book。 The story gets going right on the first page。 If I am being completely honest， I liked the first 150 pages of the book more than the last。 The book captured my attention for hours。 Truly an amazing story， great that it is true too！
L。M。 Hearon
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Inspiring and uplifting read for both adults and youth。 Many lessons to be learned from this true story。
Andrea
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Ha sido el primer audiolibro que he escuchado （que no sea relato） y el que más cómodo se me ha hecho。 Hacía tiempo que no leía algo así， la verdad es que me ha gustado la experiencia。 Muy interesante y muy ameno para escuchar。Está basado en la vida de William， lo que hace que me haya gustado y hace que me replantee muchas cosas。
Jason Owen
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This is such an humbling and inspiring story。
Olivia
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This was a great book， easy to absorb。 Wow！I cried a little when Khamba was very hungry。 That was heartbraking， what happened。
Maya
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I read this to discuss with my 4th grader who also read it and for some reason I really dragged my feet getting into it。 I don’t know why it wasn’t grabbing me at first。。。 but once I really sat down and decided to read it， it was wonderful。 I breezed through in 2 days。 Very inspiring story， motivating to make the most—or even more—of what you have and， as someone who lives in the US and has many privileges， to be profoundly grateful。
This
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（This is the young adult version of the book。 North Carolina Battle of the Books title。）Kamkwamba tells how he became a reader and inventor while growing up poor in Malawi。What I love best about this book is how well Kamkwamba describes everything from his windmill to homemade electrical switches and outlets。
Addy
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I loved this book especially since this is a true story！
Kathleen Stone
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Inspiring Great story of a determined young man！ A must read for students of all ages as well as teachers and adults。
Erica-Nate Gosser-Marrero
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