I’m almost done reading the book Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin. The book is about Mortenson and his building of schools in the developing world (mainly Pakistan). Mortenson is similar in many ways to John Wood, who wrote Leaving Microsoft to Change the World, and who builds libraries in the developing world (mainly Nepal). Both were mountain climbers (although Mortenson seems to have been more of a climber than Wood), both ran marathons (although Wood seems to have been more of a runner than Mortenson), and now both are directors of big non-profit organizations. (Mortenson runs the Central Asia Institute, and Wood runs Room to Read.)

However, the similarites seem to end there. Wood was a high-powered executive at Microsoft and had a lot of money before he ventured into the non-profit world, while Mortenson was a part-time nurse and had so little money that he lived out of his automobile and showered at the YMCA. Both have done amazing things, though, and I would highly recommend both books.

Tags: book, books, Three Cups of Tea, Greg Mortenson, David Oliver Relin, Leaving Microsoft to Change the World, John Wood, Room to Read, Central Asia Institute