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The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind William Kamkwamba

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind By William Kamkwamba

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba


$23.99
Condition - Very Good
Only 1 left

Summary

When William Kamkwamba was just 14 years old, his family told him that he must leave school and come home to work on the farm - they could no longer afford his fees. This is his story of how he found a way to make a difference, how he bought light to his family and village, and hope to his nation.

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind Summary

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba

Soon to be a major motion picture.

When William Kamkwamba was just 14 years old, his family told him that he must leave school and come home to work on the farm they could no longer afford his fees. This is his story of how he found a way to make a difference, how he bought light to his family and village, and hope to his nation.

Malawi is a country battling AIDS, drought and famine, and in 2002, a season of floods followed by the most severe famine in fifty years brought it to its knees. William Kamkwamba's family were farmers, and relied on their maize crop to feed them for the year and bring in money by selling the surplus. But after many lean years, finally there was no more. By Christmas 2001 they were running out of food - with months before they could harvest their crop again.

At 14 years old, William had been forced to leave school as there was no money to pay the fees. Borrowing library books to continue his education, William picked up a book in English about energy, with a picture of a wind turbine on the front cover. Fascinated by science and electricity, William decided to build his own. Ridiculed by those around him, exhausted from his work in the fields every day, slowly he built it with scrap metal, old bicycle parts and wood from the blue gum tree.

It has changed the world in which William and his family live. Only 2% of Malawi has electricity; and the windmill now powers lightbulbs and a radio at their compound, and he has built more windmills for his school and village.

When news of William's invention spread, people from across the globe offered to help him. Soon he was re-enrolled in school and travelling to America to visit wind farms. This is his story - his attempts to teach other Africans to help themselves, one windmill, one lightbulb, at a time.

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind Reviews

`THE BOY WHO HARNESSED THE WIND is the inspiring story of a young man in Africa who used the only resources available to him to build a windmill and elevate the lives and spirits of those in his community. William Kamkwamba's achievements with wind energy should serve as a model of what one person, with an inspired idea, can do to tackle the crisis we face. His book tells a moving and exciting story.
Al Gore, former Vice President and Nobel Laureate

`A moving, touching, important story. One more reminder ofhow powerful the human spirit can be.
Seth Godin, author

`One of the best books I have ever read.
Mark Frauenfelder, boingboing.net

William is one of the bright young stars of the future and serves as an inspiration for other young people who want to know what they can do to help. Bishop Desmond Tutu

About William Kamkwamba

William Kamkwamba was born in1987 in Dowa, Malawi, and grew up on his family farm in Masitala Village, Wimbe, two and half hours northeast of Malawis capital city. The second eldest of seven children, William has six sisters.
He currently lives in Malawi but has been sponsored to study at international schools and colleges in Cambridge, UK and Johannesburg, South Africa. In 2014, William Kamkwamba received his 4 year degree at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire.

Additional information

GOR001878448
9780007316182
0007316186
The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba
Used - Very Good
Paperback
HarperCollins Publishers
2009-10-01
320
N/A
Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.
This is a used book - there is no escaping the fact it has been read by someone else and it will show signs of wear and previous use. Overall we expect it to be in very good condition, but if you are not entirely satisfied please get in touch with us

Customer Reviews - The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind