The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind
If you’ve ever been to Malawi, you’ll appreciate the story even more. If you haven’t been, prepare your imagination for a journey.
My first thought is that if you haven’t traveled to a very poor country, this might be harder to imagine. Young William Kamkwamba goes through months of famine the likes of which we only usually see in the west in the news or even more probably, in documentaries or BBC programs.
In The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, we are brought along through hardship, famine, poverty, and setback after setback, but somehow the will of this boy stays the course and plows through (farm pun intended). He has no reason to succeed, but he just keeps at it. For example, he doesn’t get into the school he hoped for, but his second thought (his first thought was that there must have been a mistake) is that he’ll get in the next time.
Malawi, lovingly known as the Warm Heart of Africa is one of the poorest countries in the world and, in my opinion, one of the friendliest.
The audiobook is a delight, but his accent might take some getting used to if you’re not used to African accents. I love it and it brings me right back to the dusty roads and the warm heart of Africa.