APJ Abdul Kalam's autobiography depicts an extraordinary life: a child born into a little-educated family of boat-owners in Rameswaram---a small pilgrim town in Tamilnadu---who grew up to lead India's space research and missile development programmes, and emerged as one of the most important scientist-leaders of our time. Wings of Fire is a powerful story of courage and belief, as much an individual journey as the saga of independent India's search for scientific and technological self-sufficiency. This simplified and abridged version now makes Dr Kalam's inspirational story accessible to all readers. A comprehensive glossary provides help in the understanding of technical terms.