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47 reviews for:
Leaving Microsoft To Change The World: An Entrepreneur's Quest To Educate The World's Children
John Wood
3.95 AVERAGE
47 reviews for:
Leaving Microsoft To Change The World: An Entrepreneur's Quest To Educate The World's Children
John Wood
3.95 AVERAGE
Read this book quiet while back, I enjoyed the first part of the book. But later it was mostly how much they contributed by the organisation, which was abit boring to me.
What an inspirational memoir written by John Wood who gave up his high flying corporate career at Microsoft to provide books for impoverished schools & then to build schools in the most remote areas of the world's poorest countries. One person CAN make a difference!
I found this story to be incredibly inspiring. I really enjoyed reading about his time in Nepal and what caused him to change his life and work so drastically.
The last half or 1/3 of the book was a little difficult for me to read. He writes about the business aspect of the organization.... and that was a bit hard for me. To say the least.
All in all, I thought this was a great book. I will definitely be reading it again!
The last half or 1/3 of the book was a little difficult for me to read. He writes about the business aspect of the organization.... and that was a bit hard for me. To say the least.
All in all, I thought this was a great book. I will definitely be reading it again!
The beautiful story of a guy who had everything one needs to shine in society, and who threw it all away in order to help poor children in the third world have access to books and a decent education.
A quick and often funny read, this book will open your mind and hopefully inspire you to do something yourself in order to change the world we're living in! (it sure opened mine)
A quick and often funny read, this book will open your mind and hopefully inspire you to do something yourself in order to change the world we're living in! (it sure opened mine)
Work-required reading, but very engaging and encouraging: one man's odyssey to build schools and libraries in impoverished rural communities.
hopeful
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
John Wood quite an amazing job at Microsoft to make the world a better place by providing books to children around the world. His efforts have built hundreds of libraries and provided scholarships to school...not college, but primary and secondary school...to thousands. His love of reading as a child motivated him to help make sure that children in Nepal, Vietnam, South Africa, and India could get an education and make better lives.
I was very moved by his story of what parents and communities were willing to do when they had a chance to see a library built in their school. In one Nepali village, the cement for building was donated by the local rock crushing company, but there was no transport. The women of the village volunteered to carry the bags of cement ON THEIR BACK up the steep mountain to the village each morning before they went to do their daily work.
This book underlines the saying, "There is no difference between the man who can't read and the man who won't read" and also highlights how ignorant we are of the privileges we enjoy. I bought this book for under a dollar at a thrift store...someone in Nepal had to carry building materials up a mountain so their child could learn to read it.
I was very moved by his story of what parents and communities were willing to do when they had a chance to see a library built in their school. In one Nepali village, the cement for building was donated by the local rock crushing company, but there was no transport. The women of the village volunteered to carry the bags of cement ON THEIR BACK up the steep mountain to the village each morning before they went to do their daily work.
This book underlines the saying, "There is no difference between the man who can't read and the man who won't read" and also highlights how ignorant we are of the privileges we enjoy. I bought this book for under a dollar at a thrift store...someone in Nepal had to carry building materials up a mountain so their child could learn to read it.
While this book will not win any awards for writing style or structure, it is phenomenal when it comes to telling the story of how one man decided to give up his dream life and start changing the lives of children.
Although John Wood tells his story from a business perspective and less from an "on the ground" perspective ala Greg Mortenson, he still makes your heart swell with hope when you read about how many schools and libraries he has built through his foundation.
I was attracted to this story because of the parts focusing on building libraries in impoverished places. I learned a lot more about starting a foundation and running it. It also gave me hope that there are lots of people out there who want to help children around the world through education. I would seriously consider giving a donation to this group now that I know how they operate.
A fun read.
Although John Wood tells his story from a business perspective and less from an "on the ground" perspective ala Greg Mortenson, he still makes your heart swell with hope when you read about how many schools and libraries he has built through his foundation.
I was attracted to this story because of the parts focusing on building libraries in impoverished places. I learned a lot more about starting a foundation and running it. It also gave me hope that there are lots of people out there who want to help children around the world through education. I would seriously consider giving a donation to this group now that I know how they operate.
A fun read.
Although not always beautifully written, the story told in this book is powerful. It is inspiring to the extent that you’ll want to do something drastic, like start your own book drive or sign over your paycheck to Room to Read. For anyone interested in literacy, education, Microsoft, or how to run a successful nonprofit, this is a great read.
I enjoy reading inspirational stories about people doing good for the world. It makes me think that one day, I'll be able to do something that has an impact too. This book was pretty good, and it supports a good cause.
Even though he was making good money in a high powered job at Microsoft, John Wood decided that he needed to do more with his life. Having traveled in Nepal and loving its scenery and people, he was crushed to see the appalling state of its schools. Which led him to quit his job and start a program to build schools and libraries in Nepal and give children the gift of reading. Although he starts out small, what grows to be known as Room to Read really expands and is still doing a lot of good even today. They continue to expand and help in several countries and help thousands of children receive a better education each year.
John's story is pretty inspriational. He seems to do a lot of good and I particularly like his stance on education for girls. He just is one of those genuinely good people that I sometimes think there are too few of in the world. He is very fair to the people he describes in his book too. Even if they do have flaws he is accepting of it rather than saying nasty things about them or looking down on them for it.
I like that John uses a lot of details and statistics in his book. Like he says, he wants to back up what the organization does and prove that they are putting donations to good use. And judging by the figures found on the website, they are doing very well in that regard. I also like how he incorporates what he learned working for Microsoft into how he runs his charity. Now, at times this book can feel a bit like a sales pitch, but that's to be expected. I fully this book is intended to help bring donations to the organization. And there's nothing wrong with that. But some of the repetitive details can get a little bland at times and I would have loved to see more description on the actual schools and people in them rather than the fund-raising methods.
A great book to read if you like reading about how charitable organizations get going and the good people can do in the world. John Wood has done a tremendous job with his vision.
Leaving Microsoft to Change the World
Copyright 2006
254 pages
Review by M. Reynard 2012
More of my reviews can be found at www.ifithaswords.blogspot.com
Even though he was making good money in a high powered job at Microsoft, John Wood decided that he needed to do more with his life. Having traveled in Nepal and loving its scenery and people, he was crushed to see the appalling state of its schools. Which led him to quit his job and start a program to build schools and libraries in Nepal and give children the gift of reading. Although he starts out small, what grows to be known as Room to Read really expands and is still doing a lot of good even today. They continue to expand and help in several countries and help thousands of children receive a better education each year.
John's story is pretty inspriational. He seems to do a lot of good and I particularly like his stance on education for girls. He just is one of those genuinely good people that I sometimes think there are too few of in the world. He is very fair to the people he describes in his book too. Even if they do have flaws he is accepting of it rather than saying nasty things about them or looking down on them for it.
I like that John uses a lot of details and statistics in his book. Like he says, he wants to back up what the organization does and prove that they are putting donations to good use. And judging by the figures found on the website, they are doing very well in that regard. I also like how he incorporates what he learned working for Microsoft into how he runs his charity. Now, at times this book can feel a bit like a sales pitch, but that's to be expected. I fully this book is intended to help bring donations to the organization. And there's nothing wrong with that. But some of the repetitive details can get a little bland at times and I would have loved to see more description on the actual schools and people in them rather than the fund-raising methods.
A great book to read if you like reading about how charitable organizations get going and the good people can do in the world. John Wood has done a tremendous job with his vision.
Leaving Microsoft to Change the World
Copyright 2006
254 pages
Review by M. Reynard 2012
More of my reviews can be found at www.ifithaswords.blogspot.com