William Kamkwamba’s memoir, The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, is one of the most inspiring books I’ve ever read. The first half of the book provided the backstory of William’s life, the culture of his community and country, and the challenges he faced as part of every day life. In all honesty, it was a little long. Ouch. I feel guilty saying those words, considering I am a Westerner who lives a comfortable, even luxurious, life by comparison. If reading about the hardships of drought, famine, disease, and poverty is tiresome, how much worse is living it?
That being said, the suffering of William’s family motivated him to ask questions, seek answers, and experiment with whatever materials he could find, and ultimately, to improve their situation. I found William’s inquisitiveness and persistence to be truly inspirational.
William desperately wanted to learn. He successfully finished primary school, but a severe famine prevented him from continuing his formal schooling. For many children in Malawi, that meant the end of education. Instead, William turned to the library at his primary school, a small room with three shelves of books, and there he discovered a few science books that had been donated by the American government. Even though he struggled with the language, having taken only a few English classes in school, he was able to teach himself about electricity, motors, etc. William’s persistence in learning when school was not an option is so different than the apathy and “what’s the least amount of work I can do for a good grade” mentality that seems to be the mindset of many American students.
William constantly asked questions: How does this work? Why does this move? What can I use to make something like that? The more he learned, the more questions he asked. A big focus in education today is “problem-based learning,” where students ask questions and conduct research in order to address real problems. Research isn’t completed for the sake of “doing research.” It is focused toward the goal of solving a problem. William Kamkwamba wasn’t doing a PBL project; he was tackling the real problems threatened his home and family.
Give Wings to Words 