“I heard about William Kamkwamba a couple of months ago, ordered the book from the library, and then it sat, waiting its turn, until finally, this past week I've gotten to read it. Coincidentally, I was reading the slow procession of the famine in Malawi on Thanksgiving Eve. It didn't quite hit me until the next morning as I worked out my strategy for getting all the food cooked, that the night before I couldn't stop reading until I read about the harvest that ended the famine, (even though I KNEW that William, at least, had survived.)
Since much of the news coverage focused on William's self-taught knowledge that led him to build the windmills that changed his life, and the lives of the villagers, there was a certain sense of already knowing what this book was about, going into the reading of it. Luckily, there was much more to it, and the writing of the co-author, Brian Mealer, really brought William's life story to, well, life! William describes life in his village, farming of maize and tobacco, his parents' and grandparents' histories, belief in witchcraft and the history of Malawi, as well as the famine that killed friends, schoolmates and neighbors, leading to William's drive to free his family and village from the devastating effects of drought.
Totally inspiring without ever being boring. William always seems very human and normal, while accomplishing amazing things.”
