Leaving Microsoft to Change the World
In 1998, John [Wood] took a vacation that changed his life. Trekking through a remote Himalayan village, he struck up conversation with a schoolteacher, who invited John to visit his school. There, John discovered that the few books available were so precious that they were kept under lock and key – to protect them from children! Fewer than 20 books, all backpacker cast-aways, were available for more than 450 students.
The above quote was plucked from an “About John Wood” section at the end of the book Leaving Microsoft to Change the World, by former Microsoft executive John Wood. John tells a great story of a life and career change from hard charging Microsoft (where he worked from 1991 to 1998) to running a large scale non profit called Room to Read. This organization helps to build libraries, schools, reading rooms, computer centers, and funds scholarships for girls in countries as diverse as Nepal, Cambodia, Vietnam, India, South Africa and Zambia.
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