The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind (Novel)

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind is a novel, adapted into a movie, by William Kamkwamba, a Malawian inventor, engineer, and author. The novel is a remarkable true story about human inventiveness and its power to overcome crippling adversity. It promotes the power of one individual's ability to change his community and better the lives of those around him.

Quotes

• My sisters and I would sit at my father’s feet, and he’d explain the ways of the world, how magic had been with us from the beginning. In a land of poor farmers, there were too many variables for God and man alone. To compensate for this imbalance, he said, magic existed as a third and powerful force.
  • The importance of the setting of Malawi is revealed through Trywell’s words to William. Chapter 1

• Although the people in the trading center were content to simply enjoy [technology] without explanation, these questions constantly filled my mind. If solving such mysteries was the job of a scientist, then a scientist is exactly what I wanted to become.
  • William struggles with cultural forces that oppose his scientific curiosity. Chapter 4

• ’Africans bend what little they have to their will every day. Using creativity, they overcome Africa’s challenges. Where the world sees trash, Africa recycles. Where the world sees junk, Africa sees rebirth.’
  • This quote from the blogger Erik Hersman describes the creative problem-solving of people in Africa. Chapter 15

External Links

• Sparknotes
• Goodreads
• Amazon