The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba

Farming in general is also tougher in Malawi due to the policies of the newly elected President Muluzi, who is more pro-business than the previous President Banda’s farmer-friendly dictatorship.

Trywell helps manage John’s farm for a while, then turns it over to Geoffrey’s brother Jeremiah, who unfortunately is too lazy to run a farm. When William is nine, Uncle John dies and Geoffrey’s family is left in disarray. However, the magic does not work and William is left worrying if the fake medicine given to him by a sing’anga (witch doctor) will make him sick. He has heard of a man named Phiri who had super strength and agrees to go through the same ritual. William daydreams in his private bedroom, safe from the squabbles of his four sisters, wishing he could be strong through a magical ritual called mangolomera. They make toys out of trash and recycled goods when they are not at Wimbe Primary School or helping their families in the fields. Trywell and his family move to the district of Wimbe so that Trywell can be a farmer like his successful brother John.Īs a child in Wimbe, William spends most of his time with his cousin Geoffrey and his friend Gilbert, the son of the chief of their district. Yet it is only when Trywell is arrested for beating a man that he becomes a Christian and turns into a wonderful husband and provider for his family. Trywell fell in love with Agnes, and later married her. Trywell was a trader as a young man, rather than a farmer, and earned a reputation for drinking and fighting anyone. Trywell’s life includes enough strange and wonderful occurrences that Trywell has no need of magic. William’s father, Trywell, has no time for magic and often saves William from getting in trouble with anything to do with witches – though Trywell still tells magical stories to William and his sisters. He begins by describing his childhood in rural Malawi, where magic is far more influential than science. William Kamkwamba reveals that he will eventually be successful in creating a windmill that generates electricity.

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba