John Wood was born in 1964 in Connecticut. He worked as a Microsoft executive from 1991 to 1999 before taking a trip to Nepal to relieve stress. During his trip, he visited a school with few resources and was moved by the children's lack of access to books. The following year, he donated 3,000 books and later quit Microsoft to found Room to Read, a nonprofit focused on literacy and gender equality in education in developing countries. As of 2012, Room to Read had established over 1,600 schools and 13,500 libraries benefiting 6 million children.