Super Short Summary

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba is a memoir about the author’s struggle to build a windmill in his village in Malawi. The story opens with William successfully turning on his windmill and moves to his childhood, touching on themes of hope, determination, superstition, and government corruption. Despite facing numerous obstacles, William self-educates at a library, learning about electricity, and builds a windmill, which garners local and international attention, leading to positive changes in his village and beyond. The book includes sensitive topics such as famine and the impacts of HIV/AIDS.