"The Boy who Harnessed the Wind"

And how!

"The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind" is the heartwarming autobiographical account of how William Kamkwamba used his incredible mechanical aptitude to help his Malawian village. After a severe drought and famine, William is forced to drop out of school because his family can't afford the year's school entrance fees. Anxious not to fall behind his friends, he studies independently in the local library, and one day discovers a physics textbook called "Using Energy." By studying the book's illustrations, he learns how wind turbines can generate electricity, and dreams of building a machine to bring light and running water to his village and provide food security for his family.

Two chapters particularly struck me. One covers the famine, and is heart-wrenching. William describes the experience of watching his family's food supplies dwindle each day, rationing more and more, mixing grain with sawdust to make it last longer, while waiting for the following season's crops to ripen and hoping they'll be ready to harvest before the last of the food runs out.

The second scene takes place when William visits America. One of his stops is to see an American industrial-scale wind turbine: a 200-foot tower of steel generating thousands of times more power than anything he had imagined. Looking across the ridge, he sees over 3000 windmills, collectively generating enough electricity to power all of Malawi. In that moment, he knew his dream could become reality; it must have been something like a religious experience.

My highly subjective rating: an inspiring story that celebrates grand visions and the perseverance needed to bring them into being. Recommended.

One more note: if you decide to read this book make sure you get the right version! When I requested it from the library, I was surprised to find this waiting for me on the hold shelf:

Young Reader's Edition, 32 pages, around 5 words per page. The picture book does have nicer art, but the 304-page version is the more rewarding read.