Awards
Bryan Mealer's work has been recognized for its unflinching reportage, narrative craft, and its commitment to telling stories the world needs to hear.
2009
The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, co-authored with William Kamkwamba, became an international bestseller published by William Morrow / HarperCollins, reaching audiences across dozens of countries and languages.
2019
The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind was adapted into a major feature film for Netflix, written and directed by Academy Award–nominated actor Chiwetel Ejiofor. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and received widespread critical acclaim.
2004–2008
Mealer's years covering the Congo conflict for the Associated Press produced some of the most detailed and humanizing reporting of that era's African wars. His dispatches documented mass displacement, war crimes, and the extraordinary resilience of Congolese civilians.
2008
Mealer's debut received extensive critical praise for its "gutsy, richly descriptive" journalism and for bringing the overlooked tragedy of the Congo war to American readers with compassion and literary skill.
2012
Muck City was widely praised as a nuanced, compassionate portrait of poverty and perseverance in America, earning comparisons to the best traditions of literary sports journalism. Reviewers called it a "stirring tale of sports as a means of escape."
2018
Mealer's most personal work was celebrated for its sweeping scope, vivid prose, and its portrait of faith, oil, and family in Texas. It was praised as an essential work of American narrative nonfiction and a defining story of the West Texas experience.
Ongoing
Mealer's long-form journalism has appeared in some of the most prestigious publications in the English-speaking world, including Texas Monthly and The Guardian, cementing his reputation as one of America's finest narrative journalists.
On All Things Must Fight to Live
"Gutsy, richly descriptive recollections of one of the most challenging assignments a journalist can undertake."
On Muck City
"A stirring tale of sports as a means of escape from a community shaped by poverty — and a love letter to the people who refuse to give up."
On The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind
"An unforgettable story of ingenuity, hope, and the extraordinary things people accomplish when they refuse to accept impossible odds."
On The Kings of Big Spring
"A sweeping family saga and a meditation on faith, oil, and the restless American search for something better — told with rare honesty and grace."