by William Kamkwamba
review by Becky Showalter
The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind is the inspiring true story of a boy in Malawi who designs and builds a windmill to power his home in famine-stricken Malawi. William Kamkwamba is forced to leave school at 11 years old because his family cannot pay his school fees. Instead of giving up on his education, William reads every book he can in the small, donated library in his village. It is there that he falls in love with science and comes up with the idea to help his family by building a windmill that will produce electricity – what he calls “electric wind”. While it is very much a story of William Kamkwamba’s determination and perseverance during a terrible time, it is also introducing young readers to the idea there is great poverty and hardship in our world even still. What I liked most about this book is that it skillfully builds a bridge from the reader to William and his village – he is a young person you can imagine knowing. His words make you smile, and his tenacity reminds the reader that hard things are possible. If William can do this, we can make a difference too.
Going Deeper:
How did the supplies Gilbert bought made William’s work possible at crucial points in The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind? When has someone done something small for you that had a huge impact? Have you ever done that for someone else? How can we find these opportunities to help?
What obstacles to education and progress exist where you live? What can be done to address those obstacles?
What other books have you read about people who have changed the world in big or small ways?
Can you find Malawi on the map? Can you find William’s village of Wimbe? What is William Kamkwamba doing now?
Going Deeper in Faith:
Genesis 1:28 ESV “And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.””
Some scholars would translate “dominion” for “stewardship” or “being responsible for.” The title, Harnessing the Wind, is an interesting one, isn’t it? That phrase often fits with environmental causes. Is the title an environmental message in this book? Consider how Genesis talks about God’s giving us the responsibility to care for creation. What lessons does the book have about caring for creation?
Micah 6:8 ESV “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”
The Bible speaks often of people living in poverty. It also talks about simplicity. How does the villagers’ absence of electricity, telephones, or most of the modern conveniences we have to connect with biblical teachings about what is important?
Activity Suggestions:
William and his friends were able to recycle all sorts of things to make toys, games . . . and the windmill. Try these:
- Balloon Powered Milk Carton Car: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wkU1msp6bI
- Make a soccer bag out of plastic bags https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0GQZFlO4tM&feature=youtu.be
- Gather a bunch of garbage and junk lying around the house and create anything.
This book is all about creating something with the materials you have. Be creative! Start to save some of your garbage and when you have a good stockpile, let your kids imagination go to town. Or go to the Scrap Exchange in Durham and let your imagination go crazy!
Learn how to play bawo (bao)
- African men playing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adj562Mb03M
- Young person explaining how to playhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxTW4ss6ml8&t=2s
Make Nsima and Greens like William and his family ate
Buy a kit and build a Electricity Producing Windmill! https://www.amazon.com/4M-Science-Windmill-Generator-Packaging/dp/B0016PBH9Qb