Leaving Microsoft to Change the World: An Entrepreneur's Odyssey to Educate the World's Children [B0349]

2006 HCDJ 1st edition in great condition. John Wood discovered his passion, his greatest success, and his life's work-not at business school or leading Microsoft's charge into Asia in the 1990s-but on a soul-searching trip to the Himalayas. Wood felt trapped between an all-consuming career and a desire to do something lasting and significant. Stressed from the demands of his job, he took a vacation trekking in Nepal because a friend had told him, "If you get high enough in the mountains, you can't hear Steve Ballmer yelling at you anymore." Instead of being the antidote to the rat race, that trip convinced John Wood to divert the boundless energy he was devoting to Microsoft into a cause that desperately needed to be addressed.

While visiting a remote Nepalese school, Wood learned that the students had few books in their library. When he offered to run a book drive to provide the school with books, his idea was met with polite skepticism. After all, no matter how well-intentioned, why would a successful software executive take valuable time out of his life and gather books for an impoverished school? But John Wood did return to that school - and with thousands of books bundled on the back of a yak. And at that moment, Wood made the decision to walk away from Microsoft and create Room to Read-an organization that has donated more than 1.2 million books, established more than 2,600 libraries and 200 schools, and sent 1,700 girls to school on scholarship-ultimately touching the lives of 875,000 children with the lifelong gift of education. Leaving Microsoft to Change the World chronicles John Wood's struggle to find a meaningful outlet for his managerial talents and entrepreneurial zeal. For every high-achiever who has ever wondered what life might be like giving back, Wood offers a vivid, emotional, and absorbing tale of how to take the lessons learned at a hard-charging company like Microsoft and apply them to one of the world's most pressing problems: the lack of basic literacy.

From recent Amazon/GoodReads reviews: "Amazing brilliant and honest book that shows how big life can be and how we can make the most of this finite time on the planet by contributing to the society as much as we can. MUST READ for anyone who is looking to do something useful with their life."; "(Translated from a recent Malaysian reviewer): This book reminded me that literacy is a right that should be enjoyed by all. Reading this book made me rethink my relationship with books-how wonderful it is to be able to read without restrictions, own books and choose reading materials without restrictions. In addition, it also rekindled the spirit to share knowledge and spread benefits to those in need. A great read that invites readers to see the world with more open eyes."