William Kamkwamba grows up during a difficult time in Malawi, Africa. His father and mother do their best to provide food for their three children, but work is scarce and food is not easy to obtain following multiple years of drought. William cannot afford to go to secondary school despite getting good grades. He spends his days reading in the library. He is fascinated with electricity and reads about how wind turbines can power a generator. With parts salvaged from the local garbage dump, he creates a wind powered turbine that can create enough electricity to power his home and he starts making money charging cell phones. He is discovered by a computer programmer and gets to come to America to present a Ted Talk. Overall great story of how necessity can be the mother of invention. All young people should read this!

Incredibly, this was required summer reading at my last school, one of the few required books that were enjoyable. Non-fiction that reads like fiction. The truth is often much more satisfying! Extremely highly recommended!