I recently picked up the book Leaving Microsoft to Change the World by John Wood at Half Price Books. John Wood is the founder of Room to Read, a non-profit organization that helps establish libraries and computer labs in developing countries, such as Nepal, Cambodia, and Vietnam, among others.

One of the points that I found interesting in the book is Room to Read’s belief in coinvestment – in other words, the communities in which libraries and computer labs are built are required to match the donations given to them with money or physical labor. Because of this, they have more of a sense of ownership and are not just receiving a handout. Another interesting point brought up in the book is that a relatively small amount of money can make a huge difference in the developing world. In other words, the return on investment is much greater when donating to the poorest countries. John Wood is a very impressive person – he even ran the Boston Marathon!

Tags: Leaving Microsoft to Change the World, Book, Books, John Wood, Room to Read, Half Price Books