The Boy Who Helped Harness the Wind by William Kamkwamba

Location: Malawi, in Southern Africa

 

Awards: Teachers' Choices,2013 International Reading Association, Kirkus Book Award, 2015 Nominee, Nautilus Book Award, 2010 Gold 

Growing up in Malawi (in Southern Africa), William Kamkwamba faces daily hardships of poverty and famine that are widespread in his rural community.  Unable to afford to continue to go to school, the 14 year old collects discarded junk and begins trying to build a windmill.  This powerful biography inspires us to examine our world and, like Kamkwamba, use our creativity to solve the problems we find.

TED Talk by William Kamkwamba

Kamkwamba, W. (July 2009). How I harnessed the wind. TedTalk Global. Retrieved from: https://www.ted.com/talks/william_kamkwamba_how_i_harnessed_the_wind?language=en