Welcome to Litsy!

“When you have a dream, you've got to grab it and never let go.”

This book can link to my teaching by inspiring students to think critically about problem-solving and innovation, showing them that even the most challenging situations can lead to creative solutions.

This book was published in 2009. This inspiring story recounts how a young boy from Malawi, faced with poverty and hunger, builds a windmill from scrap materials to generate electricity for his village. It received the 2010 Christian Science Monitor Award and encourages readers to pursue their dreams and harness their creativity.

“I try, and I made it.“

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind' by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer is an inspiring true story of a young boy's ingenuity in bringing electricity to his village in Malawi. With themes of resilience and innovation, it encourages students to think creatively about problem-solving. This book is suitable for discussions on renewable energy, African cultures, and the power of determination.

I watched this movie last week then pulled this book from my shelves. As much as I like the movie (I mean Chiwetel Ejiofor!) the book is better. The two hour movie couldn‘t capture the devastation of the famine or the authors own thoughts and words better than the book. The Malawi folklore is more vivid on the page, and his relationships with his father, with Gilbert and Geoffrey have more impact in the book.

I try, and I made it!

This book is not only inspiring, but can also be used as an introduction to STEM and can spark ideas for projects to do in the classroom.

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind is a true story about co-author of the book William Kamkwamba. The story is about a time when Kamkwamba's village was struggling due to a drought. Kamkwamba discovered how to create a windmill and used scraps to build a functioning windmill that provided electricity.

What a great book about a boy helping his community by applying the things that he learned in school to build a windmill. I would definitely check this one out!

Loved Williams optimism, despite his many setbacks. And super interesting all the info about life in Malawi.

#ReadingAfrica2022

A truly #FeelGoodRead that‘s full of inspiration and admiration for young William Kamkwamba. A boy with a vision to help his family & community. The descriptions of #Malawi were so evocative and I enjoyed learning about his extended family as well. I listened to the audio, which was a little difficult to follow at times but I enjoyed the melodic authentic tone of the reader. Will definitely watch the short film. #ReadingAfrica22

I‘ve had the young reader‘s edition of this book in my library for a while, but I hadn‘t read it yet. This past week I listened to the original audio and then flipped through the illustrations and photos in my print copy this morning. It is an inspiring story of family and hard work that also gives a real sense of place.

#ReadingAfrica2022 #Malawi #ReadTheWorld #ReadingTheWorld #MsDsLibrary #Nonfiction

A big thanks to @Texreader for putting this terrific memoir on my radar! William‘s family in #Malawi is poor but managing until the 2001 famine arrives, devastating his community and country. He ends up being unable to attend school and educates himself instead in the library, achieving marvelous things. This was so, so good.

#ReadingAfrica2022

What a great book, and gives a real flavour of life in Malawi and how tough it is. Next country completed for #ReadingAfrica2022 with #Malawi.

Started listening to this one on my commute today, which I am reading as part of #ReadingAfrica2022 for #Malawi

Early stages of the book but giving a real flavour of life in Malawi.

This is the impressive and admirable story of a boy in #Malawi who, despite famine, hunger and a lack of education manages to invent windmills and electricity for his village. When he has been “discovered” by the world and becomes a protégé of international sponsors it is touching to see how he learns about the internet and elevators and all those things he grew up without.

#ReadingAfrica2022 ?? #19822022 #2009 #Booked2022 #WeatherTermInTitle

A kid in #Malawi, frustrated with famine and ignorance in his village, and unable to afford the fees to go to school, visits the library instead. He learns to build a windmill that powers electricity to his house for the first time using finds from the scrapyard, hard work, & ingenuity. He overcame a country‘s superstition to become a highly successful African entrepreneur aiming to improve his world. I love this book! This kid is my hero! ⬇️

This is the windmill the author built to add electricity to his house. He had to drop out of school due to lack of funds to pay school fees, so he read all he could in his local library and built this. Now he‘s come to the attention of #Malawi media, who‘ve traveled hours to his village to interview him. I‘m loving these stories about African heroes‘ tenacity changing their world! #readingafrica2022 @Librarybelle @BarbaraBB

Can you guess the year this superstition made the rounds in #Malawi? Believe it or not this was 2002! #readingafrica2022 @Librarybelle @BarbaraBB

#readingafrica2022 #Malawi @Librarybelle @BarbaraBB

#readingafrica2022 #Malawi @Librarybelle @BarbaraBB

Not a Malawian delicacy I want to try. But I do like the saying!

#readingafrica2022 #Malawi @Librarybelle @BarbaraBB

#readingafrica2022 #Malawi @Librarybelle @BarbaraBB

Read this for #readingafrica2022 Set in #Malawi. It was a good and interesting story, but I found myself skipping some of the technical stuff about electricity.

#twofortuesday Thanks @TheSpineView for the tag!

1) and 2) I read all my ebooks on my phone. I got a kindle paper white for Christmas but we are returning it. I really didn‘t like it. So I‘ll just be upgrading my phone and continuing to use it to read my ebooks

😂😂😂 Never stopped me either. 🎶 🎵

#foodandlit #Malawi #readingafrica2022 @Catsandbooks @Butterfinger @Librarybelle @BarbaraBB

Up next. #readingafrica2022 #Malawi @Librarybelle @BarbaraBB

The true story of William Kamkwamba, a young boy who brought electricity to his village in Malawi when he built a windmill.

An inspiring story in the face of unimaginable adversity and an intense read that mostly takes place during a horrific famine & drought. His curiosity and passion for knowledge result in a remarkable story, but also addresses what is lost when people, especially children, don‘t have access to basic human rights. 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑

More planning ahead, this time for #readingafrica2022 hard to beat this sale so I nabbed it! #Malawi @Librarybelle @BarbaraBB

Started and finished in one day! Such an inspiring book!

This B written by William Kamkwamda and Bryan Mealer will put you through a rollercoaster of emotions from tears to smiles to laughter. This little boy has to overcome so many different challenges and despite having to do so he learns to build a windmill in his small town, the news of this goes all around the world. I would use this B as part of an AS. #ucflae3414su20

Is there really an appropriate caption for this beautiful thought? I think not.

This is an awe inspiring book! Truly a pleasure to read!

I just saw my first #NewYearWhoDis read was on sale! I just bought it on Apple Books but I think it's on sale for #Kindle as well. 🤗

This memoir was about so much more than just a disadvantaged Malawian boy creating a windmill for electricity. At its core is a tale of ingenuity in the face of adversity, coupled with the power of friends, family, and strangers who believe in you and your potential. 4⭐️s! Other topics tackled included: scarcity, famine, effects of hunger on the brain, predatory price-gouging during famine, school fees and the cycle of poverty,👇🏽

Finally able to start back my book reports & forecasts after a few very busy weeks!😫
#BookReport: Finished The Memory Police & continued my #NewYearWhoDis book, tagged. It started off detailing Malawi folklore, then the narrator‘s father‘s life as a young trader & marrying his mother. I just finished the famine part & whew was it fascinating but brutal! Pets usually aren‘t a trigger for me but I must admit the dog going thru famine choked me up!

Finally started my first book from @RachelO‘s #NewYearWhoDis list! Hoping to get through more of it today. Yesterday work got in the way! 🙃

#booked2019 all wrapped up now! Tagged book was my final read, for diverse middle grade task 18. Enjoyed the challenge, now on to planning for 2020 challenge

I was wind-turbine spotting my entire journey home while reading this the other day. Such a good book!

William grows up in #Malawi, helping on the farm, curious about everything, and with a desire to learn. I don‘t think I‘ve ever read a description of famine from someone who‘s lived through it, the fact that you knew it was coming and could do nothing to avert it. And after, his desire to educate himself, & his persistence to build his windmill.

This is very much what my weekly #bookreport looks like. Hanging out with niece, oh look, my kindle appears to be upside down!

What I have read this week is firmly set in Southern Africa.

🌼Evening Primrose - finished and will review sometime. Very impactful, tough, short read.
🌬The Boy who Harnessed The Wind. I expected a feel-good, change the world-type story. It‘s full-on autobiography, experiencing famine from the inside. V well-written