Author: William Kamkwamba & Bryan Mealer
This is an autobiography of an African boy who built a windmill to generate electricity in his poverty-stricken village. He has since received worldwide fame and recognition, and his story even appeared in Wallace & Gromit!
The book starts with William's account of his family and their life in Malawi. His father, like many other Malawians, is a tobacco and maize farmer. William takes us through his childhood - his family and friends, the games they play, the stories they listen to and the scrapes they get into.
Then one year a drought strikes the farming community, and they are forced into starvation and poverty. William drops out of school after failing to pay the school fees, but, not wanting to fall behind, he visits the public library where he finds several science books. One of them has a picture of windmills on the cover.
This book is written with such a positive outlook on life. I do not know how much of the book is really written in William's voice, but it is a voice full of wit, humour and a 'what's next?' attitude. I especially enjoyed his account of witch children playing some form of football tournament using people's heads that they steal while the owners are asleep. But most heartwarming is his experience speaking at the TED Conference: struggling with his English, his simple statement summed it all:
"I try, and I made it."
