The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind - Non-Fiction Selection


For the Non-Fiction genre, I have selected The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind written by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer, and pictures by Elizabeth Zunon. This book provides the audience insight to William Kamkwamba’s experience as a fourteen year old in a Malawi village suffering from a drought. While his family lacked money and goods, William defeated all odds and used literature to first learn English, ultimately, learning through literature how to bring electricity to his village. William is widely known today for his ability to build a windmill out of yard scraps that successfully gave hope to his village.

This true story was brought to life in literature with its vivid pictures and lyrical style. Written by William Kamkwamba, this non-fiction book brings the realistic happenings of his experiences. The story advances from the drought to William’s heroic act, smoothly transitioning into the ultimate message of the story; no matter the circumstances, hard work and determination can bring you to success. The collection of these traits of this book influence my recommendation.

The underlying message of this non-fictional story can encourage social action and change with William Kamkwamba as a role model, raise awareness of the issues that lie in the Malawi village, and allow readers to feel self-confidence that if William was able to defeat all odds in such strict circumstances, that one can do anything that they put their mind to. These aspects within this picture book can ultimately provide confidence and raise awareness of strength and challenges at a diverse level.

Within the classroom this book can be used to share information about Malawi and the heroic William Kamkwamba. Additionally, it can be used to send an affective message to build independent and respecting individuals. This powerful book can be incorporated within a collection of diverse literature to show that all humans can, regardless of location, culture, beliefs, abilities, etc., there is a way and we all have the strength to meet our goals. Lastly, with such a strong message, this literature piece is a great opportunity to teach theme and moral.

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