New Release: The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind
By William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer
William Morrow | 288pgs
Release Date: September 29, 2009
The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: Creating Currents of Electricity and Hope is an inspiring true story that follows the struggle of a young Malawian boy to build a windmill and pull his family out of famine and poverty. William Kamkwamba was just fourteen years old when a nationwide drought left his family impoverished and forced him to leave school. Though he could no longer pursue his dream of education, he threw his heart and soul into the improbable plan of building a functional windmill. His lofty goal was to bring the luxuries of electricity and running water to his starving family. With the help of his school librarian and an ingenious amalgamation of bicycle parts, scrap metal and various other junk yard cast-offs, this incredibly bright young man was able to find all the information and materials he needed to succeed. Proving the village naysayers wrong, he built a fully operational windmill to power four lights in his home, and then later a second windmill that turned a water pump.
