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William Kamkwamba was born in Malawi, a country where magic ruled and modern science was mystery. It was also a land withered by drought and hunger, and a place where hope and opportunity were hard to find. But William had read about windmills in a book called Using Energy, and he dreamed of building one that would bring electricity and water to his village and change his life and the lives of those around him. His neighbors may have mocked him and called him misala-crazy-but William was determined to show them what a little grit and ingenuity could do.Enchanted by the workings of electricity as a boy, William had a goal to study science in Malawi's top boarding schools. But in 2002, his country was stricken with a famine that left his family's farm devastated and his parents destitute. Unable to pay the eighty-dollar-a-year tuition for his education, William was forced to drop out and help his family forage for food as thousands across the country starved and died.Yet William refused to let go of his dreams. With nothing more than a fistful of cornmeal in his stomach, a small pile of once-forgotten science textbooks, and an armory of curiosity and determination, he embarked on a daring plan to bring his family a set of luxuries that only two percent of Malawians could afford and what the West considers a necessity-electricity and running water. Using scrap metal, tractor parts, and bicycle halves, William forged a crude yet operable windmill, an unlikely contraption and small miracle that eventually powered four lights, complete with homemade switches and a circuit breaker made from nails and wire. A second machine turned a water pump that could battle the drought and famine that loomed with every season.Soon, news of William's magetsi a mphepo-his "electric wind"-spread beyond the borders of his home, and the boy who was once called crazy became an inspiration to those around the world.Here is the remarkable story about human inventiveness and its power to overcome crippling adversity. The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind will inspire anyone who doubts the power of one individual's ability to change his community and better the lives of those around him.
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Subjects
Biography & Autobiography, Nonfiction, nyt:e-book-nonfiction=2016-04-10, New York Times bestseller, Inventors, Water-supply, rural, Windmills, Electric power production, Rural electrification, Water-supply, africa, Africa, rural conditions, Irrigation, JUVENILE NONFICTION / Science & Nature / Experiments & Projects, JUVENILE NONFICTION / People & Places / Africa, JUVENILE NONFICTION / Biography & Autobiography / General, Mechanical engineers, Juvenile literature, Biography, Engineers, Engineers, juvenile literature, Africa, biography, Inventors, juvenile literature, Malawi, Electric power, JUVENILE NONFICTION, General, People & Places, Africa, Science & Nature, Experiments & Projects, BiographyJuvenile literature, NEW LIST 20120229, Water-supply, Rural, Rural conditions, Design and construction, Social conditions, Science & Technology, Technology, Electricity & ElectronicsPeople
William Kamkwamba (1987-)Places
MalawiShowing 5 featured editions. View all 23 editions?
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1
The boy who harnessed the wind
2015, Scholastic Inc.
in English
- Young readers edition.
0545946034 9780545946032
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The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: Young Readers Edition
Feb 05, 2015, Dial, Dial Books
hardcover
0803740808 9780803740808
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3
The boy who harnessed the wind
2012, Dial Books for Young Readers
in English
0803735111 9780803735118
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4
The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: Creating Currents of Electricity and Hope
2009, William Morrow
0061730327 9780061730320
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Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: Creating Currents of Electricity and Hope
2009, HarperCollins Publishers
in English
006193772X 9780061937729
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September 13, 2022 | Edited by dcapillae | merge authors |
September 13, 2022 | Edited by dcapillae | Merge works (MRID: 6154) |
March 1, 2022 | Created by ImportBot | Imported from Better World Books record |