William is the narrator and protagonist of The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind. At the beginning of the book, he believes in magic and superstition, though as he educates himself and nurtures his scientific curiosity, he comes to discover that he needn’t rely upon those elements to define his world. Instead, he’s able to build a windmill to harness the power of the wind, generating electricity that can light his house, pump his family’s well, and charge cell phones. But the windmill does more than that—it’s a beacon of hope and inspiration for all who see it.

William has to overcome many obstacles on his quest to build his windmill. At the TED conference, he becomes known for the phrase, “And I try, and I made it” (268), a phrase which came to define his outlook on life itself. For a boy who never really fit in—whether in a house of girls or in a clubhouse where he wasn’t welcome—William discovered his place in his family, in his village, in Malawi, and in the world.