The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind
Young Readers Edition
(Sprache: Englisch)
Now a Netflix film starring and directed by Chiwetel Ejiofor, this is a gripping memoir of survival and perseverance about the heroic young inventor who brought electricity to his Malawian village.
When a terrible drought struck William...
When a terrible drought struck William...
Leider schon ausverkauft
versandkostenfrei
Buch (Gebunden)
19.00 €
Produktdetails
Produktinformationen zu „The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind “
Klappentext zu „The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind “
Now a Netflix film starring and directed by Chiwetel Ejiofor, this is a gripping memoir of survival and perseverance about the heroic young inventor who brought electricity to his Malawian village.When a terrible drought struck William Kamkwamba's tiny village in Malawi, his family lost all of the season's crops, leaving them with nothing to eat and nothing to sell. William began to explore science books in his village library, looking for a solution. There, he came up with the idea that would change his family's life forever: he could build a windmill. Made out of scrap metal and old bicycle parts, William's windmill brought electricity to his home and helped his family pump the water they needed to farm the land.
Retold for a younger audience, this exciting memoir shows how, even in a desperate situation, one boy's brilliant idea can light up the world. Complete with photographs, illustrations, and an epilogue that will bring readers up to date on William's story, this is the perfect edition to read and share with the whole family.
Lese-Probe zu „The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind “
PROLOGUE
The machine was ready. After so many months of preparation, the work was finally complete: The motor and blades were bolted and secured, the chain was taut and heavy with grease, and the tower stood steady on its legs. The muscles in my back and arms had grown as hard as green fruit from all the pulling and lifting. And although I d barely slept the night before, I d never felt so awake. My invention was complete. It appeared exactly as I d seen it in my dreams.
News of my work had spread far and wide, and now people began to arrive. The traders in the market had watched it rise from a distance and they d closed up their shops, while the truck drivers left their vehicles on the road. They d crossed the valley toward my home, and now they gathered under the machine, looking up in wonder. I recognized their faces. These same men had teased me from the beginning, and still they whispered, even laughed.
Let them, I thought. It was time.
I pulled myself onto the tower s first rung and began to climb. The soft wood groaned under my weight as I reached the top, where I stood level with my creation. Its steel bones were welded and bent, and its plastic arms were blackened from fire.
I admired its other pieces: the bottle-cap washers, rusted tractor parts, and the old bicycle frame. Each one told its own story of discovery. Each piece had been lost and then found in a time of fear and hunger and pain. Together now, we were all being reborn.
In one hand I clutched a small reed that held a tiny lightbulb. I now connected it to a pair of wires that dangled from the machine, then prepared for the final step. Down below, the crowd cackled like hens.
Quiet, everyone, someone said. Let s see how crazy this boy really is.
Just then a strong gust of wind whistled through the rungs and pushed me into the tower. Reaching over, I unlocked the machine s spinning wheel and watched it begin to
... mehr
turn. Slowly at first, then faster and faster, until the whole tower rocked back and forth. My knees turned to jelly, but I held on.
I pleaded in silence: Don t let me down.
Then I gripped the reed and wires and waited for the miracle of electricity. Finally, it came, a tiny flicker in my palm, and then a magnificent glow. The crowd gasped, and the children pushed for a better look.
It s true! someone said.
Yes, said another. The boy has done it. He has made electric wind!
CHAPTER ONE
My name is William Kamkwamba, and to understand the story I m about to tell, you must first understand the country that raised me. Malawi is a tiny nation in southeastern Africa. On a map, it appears like a flatworm burrowing its way through Zambia, Mozambique, and Tanzania, looking for a little room. Malawi is often called The Warm Heart of Africa, which says nothing about its location, but everything about the people who call it home. The Kamkwambas hail from the center of the country, from a tiny village called Masitala, located on the outskirts of the town of Wimbe.
You might be wondering what an African village looks like. Well, ours consists of about ten houses, each one made of mud bricks and painted white. For most of my life, our roofs were made from long grasses that we picked near the swamps, or dambos in our Chichewa language. The grasses kept us cool in the hot months, but during the cold nights of winter, the frost crept into our bones and we slept under an extra pile of blankets.
Every house in Masitala belongs to my large extended family of aunts and uncles and cousins. In our house, there was me, my mother and father, and my six sisters, along with some goats and guinea fowl, and a few chickens.
When people hear I m the only boy among six girls, they often say,
I pleaded in silence: Don t let me down.
Then I gripped the reed and wires and waited for the miracle of electricity. Finally, it came, a tiny flicker in my palm, and then a magnificent glow. The crowd gasped, and the children pushed for a better look.
It s true! someone said.
Yes, said another. The boy has done it. He has made electric wind!
CHAPTER ONE
My name is William Kamkwamba, and to understand the story I m about to tell, you must first understand the country that raised me. Malawi is a tiny nation in southeastern Africa. On a map, it appears like a flatworm burrowing its way through Zambia, Mozambique, and Tanzania, looking for a little room. Malawi is often called The Warm Heart of Africa, which says nothing about its location, but everything about the people who call it home. The Kamkwambas hail from the center of the country, from a tiny village called Masitala, located on the outskirts of the town of Wimbe.
You might be wondering what an African village looks like. Well, ours consists of about ten houses, each one made of mud bricks and painted white. For most of my life, our roofs were made from long grasses that we picked near the swamps, or dambos in our Chichewa language. The grasses kept us cool in the hot months, but during the cold nights of winter, the frost crept into our bones and we slept under an extra pile of blankets.
Every house in Masitala belongs to my large extended family of aunts and uncles and cousins. In our house, there was me, my mother and father, and my six sisters, along with some goats and guinea fowl, and a few chickens.
When people hear I m the only boy among six girls, they often say,
... weniger
Autoren-Porträt von William Kamkwamba, Bryan Mealer
William Kamkwamba recently graduated from Dartmouth College. The original version of his memoir The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind was a New York Times Bestseller and a Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year. He divides his time between Malawi and San Francisco, California.Bryan Mealer is the author of Muck City and the New York Times bestseller The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, which he wrote with William Kamkwamba. Since publication, the book has received many honors and has been translated into over a dozen languages. Mealer is also the author of All Things Must Fight to Live, which chronicled his years covering the war in the Democratic Republic of Congo for Harper's and the Associated Press. His forthcoming book, The Kings of Big Spring, a multi-generational saga about his family in West Texas, will be published by Flatiron Books in early 2018. He and his family live in Austin.
Bibliographische Angaben
- Autoren: William Kamkwamba , Bryan Mealer
- Altersempfehlung: Ab 10 Jahre
- 2015, 304 Seiten, Maße: 14,7 x 21,7 cm, Gebunden, Englisch
- Verlag: Penguin US
- ISBN-10: 0803740808
- ISBN-13: 9780803740808
- Erscheinungsdatum: 12.02.2015
Sprache:
Englisch
Pressezitat
Praise for the Young Readers Edition:New York Public Library's 100 Books for Reading and Sharing
* "This is a fascinating, well-told account that will intrigue curious minds . . . An inspiring, incredible story." School Library Journal, starred review
* "Against astounding odds, Kamkwamba's eventual creation of a windmill to bring lighting to his family's home is nothing short of amazing. Compelling and informative for a broad readership and a good addition to STEM collections." Kirkus Reviews
Praise for the original edition of The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind:
William Kamkwamba s achievements with wind energy should serve as a model of what one person, with an inspired idea, can do to tackle the crisis we face. His book tells a moving and exciting story. Al Gore, former Vice President and Nobel Laureate
This is an amazing, inspiring and heartwarming story! It s about harnessing the power not just of the wind, but of imagination and ingenuity. Those are the most important forces we have for saving our planet. William Kamkwamba is a hero for our age. Walter Isaacson, author of Einstein and Benjamin Franklin
This book is inspirational. What William did took nothing more than initiative and a little learning, yet he changed his village and his life. There s never been a better time to Do It Yourself, and I love how much we can learn from those who often have no other choice. Chris Anderson, editor in chief of Wired and author of Free and The Long Tail
Kommentar zu "The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind"
0 Gebrauchte Artikel zu „The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind“
Zustand | Preis | Porto | Zahlung | Verkäufer | Rating |
---|
Schreiben Sie einen Kommentar zu "The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind".
Kommentar verfassen