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

271 pages

William, the author and narrator, grew up in a rural village in Malawi. His family was poor but happy until 2002, when a disastrous famine struck and his family had to put all of their time and energy into staying alive. They didn't have the money for William's school fees anymore, so he had to drop out because all schools in Malawi require tuition. Instead of letting his brain take it easy, 14-year-old William started borrowing materials from his tiny community library. There he discovered a book called "Using Energy," which gave him an idea: he would build a windmill to provide electricity and running water to his home. He'd always tinkered with radios and conducted little experiments, but this was a big thing even for him. His neighbors thought he was crazy, but he stayed with it, constructing the windmill from scraps he found around the house and in his town's junkyard. After lots of trial and error, William finished his windmill and it changed his life forever. Not only did the windmill provide electricity and water for his family for the first time, but the recognition it gave him caused people to pitch in so he could afford to go to school again. It also drew attention to his impoverished community and inspired millions of people as his story spread through the media. Other Africans in desperate circumstances discovered that education could give them what they needed to make their lives better.

For me, William's story was a real eye-opener. First of all, it made me realize how much I take for granted: plenty of food, unlimited access to clean water, and resources for keeping my home warm and safe, to name a few, but especially education. In the US, we take it for granted that we'll get at least some kind of schooling (not to say that all the education in America meets the standards it should, but that's another story), and in fact a lot of us complain about having to go to school. William and many other Malawians, on the other hand, aren't guaranteed an education and they treasure every day that they get to spend in school. Reading about William's desperate efforts to stay in school and then to educate himself when he was forced to drop out was a huge inspiration. He demonstrates that there is a ton of talent that is being wasted in impoverished areas because simply living life is too much for some to keep up with. It's amazing that William had the drive and luck to succeed and bring positive change to his community. A couple of other things I liked about the book: it gave me a good idea of how the windmill was built and how it worked without getting super-technical, and I enjoyed William's humorous tone. I recommend this book for everyone!