The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind
by William Kamkwamba
★ Top 25 book of 2009 · #15 on Best Books of 2009
During a devastating famine in Malawi, a boy who had to leave school taught himself from science books. Using scrap metal and spare parts, he built a windmill to bring electricity and water to his family.
Best for: Readers who want an uplifting true story of curiosity, determination and ingenuity
The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind is #15 on BookWard's Best Books of 2009, out of 42 2009 books that cleared our data bar.
What The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind is about
William Kamkwamba grew up in Malawi, a country worn down by drought and hunger, where science felt distant and opportunity was scarce. As a boy he was enchanted by electricity and hoped to study at one of the country's top boarding schools. Then, in 2002, a famine hit his family's farm and left his parents destitute. The tuition of eighty dollars a year was out of reach, so he left school and helped search for food.
He kept learning anyway. Using a small pile of forgotten science textbooks, and a book called Using Energy that introduced him to windmills, he set himself a goal: to build one that could bring electricity and water to his village. His neighbors mocked him and called him misala, meaning crazy. This memoir tells how curiosity and stubborn determination carried him on, and it will appeal to anyone who enjoys an earnest, hopeful story about learning against the odds.
The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind on the Best Books of 2009
The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind came out in 2009. Of the 42 books first published in 2009 that met BookWard's data bar, it ranks #15 on our Best Books of 2009 list.
Why it made the list: 282 readers have shelved it on Open Library; 23 are reading it right now. The list ranks each year’s books on how many readers have picked them up, how highly readers rate them, and how many are reading them right now.
Nearby on the 2009 list
- The Forty Rules of Love Elif Şafak, #13
- Wolf Hall Hilary Mantel, #14
- The 50Th Law Robert Greene, #16
- Drive Daniel H. Pink, #17
See all Best Books of 2009 Best books by year
More years: Best Books of 2008 Best Books of 2010.
The numbers behind it
- Readers: 250 want to read it, 23 are reading it now and 9 have read it, according to Open Library.
| Signal | This book (0 to 100) | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Reach | 50 | 55% |
| Reader love | 71 | 25% |
| Being read right now | 74 | 20% |
Questions about The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind
When was The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind published?
The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba was first published in 2009.
Was The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind one of the best books of 2009?
The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind is #15 on BookWard's Best Books of 2009, out of 42 2009 books that cleared our data bar. 282 readers have shelved it on Open Library; 23 are reading it right now.
Why is The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind on the Best Books of 2009 list?
282 readers have shelved it on Open Library; 23 are reading it right now.
More of the best books of 2009
- The Last Olympian Rick Riordan, #1
- Catching Fire Suzanne Collins, #2
- The Maze Runner James Dashner, #3
- The Help Kathryn Stockett, #4
- Dork Diaries Rachel Renée Russell, #5
- I Will Teach You to Be Rich Ramit Sethi, #6
See the full Best Books of 2009, the Top 100, or new books on Rising.
How we know
This page uses public data: Open Library reader counts and ratings, and Wikipedia page views for recent years. The description is paraphrased from real source text. Rankings reflect reading interest, not quality or sales, and can be affected by data gaps. Lists update monthly.
Find your own best books
Add what you have read, rate it, and BookWard will recommend what to read next.
Free while in beta. No credit card needed.