Creating Room to Read
A review of

Creating Room to Read

A Story of Hope in the Battle for Global Literacy

John WoodPlume • 2014

Creating Reading Rooms

by David Meyer

John Wood offers a sequel to his seminal Leaving Microsoft to Change the World, detailing how his charity brings books and literacy to children worldwide.

John Wood founded the nonprofit Room to Read, which believes “World Change Starts with Educated Children.” The organization is bringing education to 16.6 million children in 16 countries.

Wood returns with a sequel to his 2006 bestseller, Leaving Microsoft to Change the World, which outlined the beginnings of Room to Read. Here, he charts the organization’s remarkable growth in the years since and offers a blueprint for others who might wish to emulate his level of civic and social action. Wood and his team regard financial support for education and literacy as an investment, not a charity. He shares many heartwarming stories, as well as a number of stark challenges he and his team have faced. Given that in the developing world 780 million illiterate people – including 300 million kids – need education, Wood makes a persuasive argument for the virtues of literacy.


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