68 pages • 2 hours read
William KamkwambaThe Boy Who Harnessed The Wind
Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 2009A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Introduction
The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind
- Genre: Nonfiction; memoir
- Originally Published: 2009
- Reading Level/Interest: Lexile 850L; grades 9-12
- Structure/Length: Prologue, 15 chapters, and epilogue; approx. 290 pages; approx. 10 hours, 4 minutes on audio
- Central Concern: The author reveals in his memoir the struggles he faced against superstition, drought, famine, and corruption in his attempt to construct a windmill for his Malawi village.
- Potential Sensitivity Issues: Famine; poverty
William Kamkwamba, Author
- Bio: Born in Dowa, Malawi in 1987; along with his parents and six sisters, grew up on the farm of extended family members; forced to stop attending school due to famine conditions and an inability to pay school fees; pursued the study of science independently and constructed a windmill for the farm to provide electricity to his family; completed other projects such as clean water initiatives and a village irrigation system; graduated from Dartmouth with a degree in Environmental Studies; has become a presenter, writer, playwright, TED Fellow, Global Fellow with IDEO.org, and innovator
- Other Works: The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, Young Readers Edition (2016)
- Awards: Alex Award from the American Library Association (2010)
CENTRAL THEMES connected and noted throughout this Teaching Unit:
- Magic Versus Science
- Corruption
- Hope and Determination
- Friendship
STUDY OBJECTIVES: In accomplishing the components of this Unit, students will:
