I almost gave this book 5 stars. I admit it started off a bit slowly. This was a fascinating look at the life of a young man in an African village in Malawi. I loved reading about how he taught himself the principles needed to build his own windmill and create electricity for his household. He showed remarkable ingenuity and tenacity in gathering the materials necessary and making it work. This is an inspiring story that appealed to my "science side" and my emotional side! ( )

I had wanted to read this book for the longest time. William's story is amazing, and given the obstacles he overcame to not only build his windmill, but to survive, his story is nothing short of miraculous. A very inspiring story of perseverance, tenacity, overcoming adversity, and the power of learning. ( )

An interesting story, but took a little while to get into. ( )

Subtitle: Creating Currents of Electricity and Hope

This is the memoir of an extraordinary young man, the son of a Malawian farmer, struggling in poverty and through famine and drought, but following the spark of inspiration, his own thirst for knowledge, and a desire to help his family and community. William saw a need and thought, “What if?” As he explained to a TED conference, “I tried, and I made it.”

What he did was electrify his family home with his makeshift windmill, constructed from miscellaneous parts he scavenged from a scrapyard. Unable to attend school because his parents lacked the funds to pay tuition, William relied on the library, and one specific book on physics which he read over and over and over again. He did not despair that he lacked this or that device or material, rather he saw possibilities in the least likely bits and pieces. And he remained focused on his goal of improving his family’s life and ability to succeed.

Brian Mealer co-authored the memoir, as Kamkwamba’s English was pretty basic at the time he sat down to tell his story. Still, it’s not the best-written book I’ve read, but the emotion of the story is what elevates it, in my opinion.

His story is inspiring and uplifting. Bravo!

(Note: There is also a young adult edition of his memoir, which, I assume, has less of the technical science / engineering in it. In his life, Kamkwamba has since gone one to graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Studies from Dartmouth College. He continues to work to improve the lives of his countrymen.) ( )

A kid in Malawi, frustrated with famine and ignorance in his village, and unable to afford the fees to go to school, visits the library instead. He learns to build a windmill that powers electricity to his house for the first time using finds from the scrapyard, hard work, & ingenuity. He overcame a country’s superstition to become a highly successful African entrepreneur aiming to improve his world. I love this book! This kid is my hero! ( )