Title: The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: Creating Currents of Electricity and Hope
Author: William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer
Publisher: HarperCollins
For Ages: 12 years and up
ISBN: 978-0-06-173032-0
Date of Publication: 2009

My idea of a good book is when I get to the end, I turn the book over and start reading it again. William Kamkwamba is the actual boy who harnessed the wind.

It’s hard to imagine, as 2009 draws to a close, that there are people who live daily without electricity and running water. It’s hard to imagine communities without free public education, but that’s reality in many countries.

So what made a boy ask, “How does electricity work?”

Even in William’s native Malawi, people have battery-powered radios and bicycle dynamos. His best friend, the son of a local chief, lives in a house with limited government-supplied electricity. The Kamkwamba family depends on their mastery of the “wilderness skills” I am learning and practicing.

While William has no access to computers, he does have access to a library and a mind capable of grasping advanced physics.

This is what happens to books that find their way to places like Recycled Reads and Project Schoolhouse.

As I embrace the rebalancing of my nature life and my writing life, this book gives me a true sense of perspective. When tempted to despair at the human capacity for greed and corrption, The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind gives me renewed hope for the human spirit and faith that creativity will prevail over brutality.

I’m on my third read-through. I still cannot grasp the physics that seem to clear to William. But I am grateful to the writers and entrepreneurs and other leaders that helped bring this remarkable true story to life.

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J. J. Murphy is a freelance writer who helps a variety of companies, small businesses and individuals express their awareness and dedication to developing sustainable technology and to preserve our natural resources. Learn more about her and her writing services at www.writerbynature.com.