My son in 6th grade read this book and gave it 5 stars. I agree!
The narrative voice was straightforward and matter-of-fact, but also conveyed the thoughtfulness and patience of the storyteller. The first half of the memoir described William's life in Malawi, from the days of care-free independence, hunting for birds with his faithful dog, to the months of heartwrenching hunger and fear, witnessing the horrors of famine. His account of growing up without electricity, running water, or even school is sure to make an impression on young readers.
The second half of the book centered around William's efforts to build the windmill. In this day and age, when most of us take electricity for granted, it is eye-opening to see how revolutionary a single light bulb can be, a means to achieve freedom from darkness. William's motivation and ability to self-learn from books written in English, without even a solid grasp of the English language, was remarkable. The extent to which he re-purposed the discarded junkyard scraps of an abandoned tobacco plantation was extraordinary to say the least. Without the proper tools, William even made his own tools!
I appreciated that the book also talked about William's ideas and inventions that didn't work out. It's important for young readers to see that even with William's winning combination of interest, talent, hard work, and ingenuity, he had some defeats, too. Impressively, William's goals never wavered; every innovation was designed to solve a particular problem in his home or community, and he sought to improve the lives of his neighbors and fellow Malawians.
I really enjoyed the glossy color photos. Also, the Netflix movie is a great dramatization, a worthy supplement to this book. I watched the movie as an introduction, then I read this book to get the full true story, and now I am going to read the original version (not the young readers edition), to learn even more about William and Malawi!
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