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The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind

Published on Nov 18, 2015

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The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind

One of my favorite books is The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind.

It's about a 14-year-old boy named William Kamkwamba
whose parents are farmers in Malawi.

When a drought hits, they can no longer afford to send him to school.

Photo by Bert Kaufmann

He starts sneaking in to class, but gets caught.

Photo by tybeeney

To try to make up for missing class, he starts visiting his local library.

Photo by ginnerobot

But that also has to stop when the drought is followed by a famine.

William's mother has just given birth when the famine starts.

Photo by apdk

As the famine drags on, deaths skyrocket.

William and his family just barely survive.

One day at the library William sees a book on electricity. It has a windmill on the cover.

Photo by glendon27

William has never seen one before but knows it can generate electricity (why else would it be on the cover?)

And it's a photo, not a drawing, so it can be built.

With a windmill they could pump from the well, irrigate their crops, and never have to risk starvation again!

Photo by CIMMYT

So--with no instructions, no money, and no supplies--William sets out to build a windmill.

I love this book.

It was fascinating, suspenseful, occasionally funny, and deeply inspiring.