Leaving Microsoft to Change the World - John Wood

Leaving Microsoft to Change the World - John Wood (2006)

Maybe this is the perfect christmas book, if only I had read it before christmas!! I guess most of us are sitting surrounded by a pile of christmas presents, and looking for room to put more stuff into our already overstuffed lives. News reports are full of the millions/billions of dollars that people have spent on just one day on christmas presents. I can't remember what the figure was for New Zealand, but it was something crazy, especially when you think that there are only 4 million people living here.

John Wood was a high flying executive for microsoft, who while on a short vacation in Nepal, visits a small school which only has access to a small number of books for the children. Making a promise to fund raise and return with plenty of reading material. John realizes how few of the poor children in Nepal, can afford an education or have access to schools or books.

After much soul searching he eventually quits his job at Microsoft to set up his own charity 'Room to Read' where by using donations, is able to provide schools and libraries for $8,000. Initially in Nepal, his venture spreads to Vietnam,Laos, India, Sri Lanka, Africa and Cambodia where scholorships for girls, libraries, computer training rooms and schools are established.

I didn't want to put this book down, and highly recommend it if you are looking for a book about a good person, who decides to help try and save the world, and actually does something about it. This book would be a great present, especially for someone who has done a lot of travelling.

The room to read website is here: http://www.roomtoread.org/ and is worth a visit.

I am going to give it a big 5/5.