Book or Movie?: The boy who harnessed the wind
Should you read the book first or watch the movie instead?
I admit that I did not know anything about this book until I saw it in my local Barnes & Noble one lazy afternoon while searching for a light night-time read. The title caught my eye and that the cover mentioned the book had been a Young Readers Edition of the New York Times Bestseller. Plus, Netflix had made a movie on the story. I was also looking to hold a real book after a long time and give my loyal Kindle some rest :)
I started off by reading a few pages of the book, came home to see the movie on Netflix (where it is still available) and then picked up the book once again. It’s a real story and stirs something inspirational deep inside you. But, should you read the book first or should you watch the 2 hour movie instead? Here’s my personal opinion on both.
In the movie, Maxwell Simba plays William Kamkwamba. He beautifully portrays the trials of a young boy eager to go to school in a small Malawian village. But, when famine hits his country and money runs out, he has to give up on school and work odd jobs to earn some money to support his family. The family struggles to survive and indeed William loses a dear friend to hunger. He tinkers with radio sets in his free time and teaches himself about electricity, wiring, diodes, radio waves etc. by experimenting on his own and by reading books in his school library (which he is allowed to access courtesy a supportive school teacher). When he discovers that electricity can be generated via a windmill, he builds one using parts from a junk field in his village, what we Indians would have called a ‘jugaad’. The movie itself has a slow pace with brilliant acting and there are some scenes that stand out, like the one where William confronts his father to give up his bicycle as it can be used for his windmill project. Overall, the movie tells you the story and touches upon the major life events but does not go deep enough into William’s journey.
The book is different. It explains in detail about William’s dream to go to the best school in his village, his experiments with radios and bio-gas, him stumbling on a Physics book in his modest school library which kick-started the windmill project, his struggles to find mechanical parts for his windmill that often took weeks before he found the almost right part and his village’s reaction on his ‘madness’. Does any of this stop William? No, instead his resolve only gets stronger. No great task can be achieved alone and William also had help. The book talks about the support from his closest friend during critical moments, William’s iterations on the windmill to improve the windmill’s productivity and working and his journey to becoming famous in Malawi and then Dartmouth (US, yes!). Success does not happen overnight and the book expresses so to the reader in a fine way.
What did I learn: There will be times when you would have to learn something new. When you would not have enough resources to achieve your objective. When others would doubt you or make fun of you. Don’t let any of this stop you. Start with what you have, look around and ask for help. Keep your friends close and keep walking small but sure steps towards your goal. And when you reach it, don’t stop. Make it better. Make it yours.
The verdict: Read the book first. It is inspiring. It reminded me of the fact that one can teach themselves new things if there is a will to learn. It reminded me that sometimes when you do new things, people around you might not be convinced, they may even make fun of you. But, during this time, believe in yourself and keep working towards your end goal. The very same people will admire your courage and applaud you once you achieve your goal. The movie can come later. It is plain story-telling and might not stir the same emotions in you as the book would.
I have expressed my personal opinion on this book+movie combination. Please do share what did you like more — the book or the movie? I would love to receive your recommendations on books+movie combinations that I can talk about.
