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Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace... One School at a Time
by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin
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About This Book
ISBN13: 9780143038252 |
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Powells.com Staff Pick
Nelson Mandela once said, "Education is the most powerful weapon you can use
to change the world." Mortenson and Relin's Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace... One School at a Time
is a
powerful contribution to that arsenal. If there is truth to Albert Camus' prediction that the
purpose of a writer is to "keep civilization from destroying itself," then Mortenson's tenacious, heroic efforts and Relin's mastery of
journalistic narrative give us an inspiring example of that ideal in
spellbinding words and spectacular humanitarian efforts.
Recommended by Mimi, Powell's City of Books
Synopses & Reviews
Publisher Comments:
In 1993 Greg Mortenson was the exhausted survivor of a failed attempt to ascend K2, an American climbing bum wandering emaciated and lost through Pakistan's Karakoram Himalaya. After he was taken in and nursed back to health by the people of an impoverished Pakistani village, Mortenson promised to return one day and build them a school. From that rash, earnest promise grew one of the most incredible humanitarian campaigns of our time — Greg Mortenson's one-man mission to counteract extremism by building schools, especially for girls, throughout the breeding ground of the Taliban.
Award-winning journalist David Oliver Relin has collaborated on this spellbinding account of Mortenson's incredible accomplishments in a region where Americans are often feared and hated. In pursuit of his goal, Mortenson has survived kidnapping, fatwas issued by enraged mullahs, repeated death threats, and wrenching separations from his wife and children. But his success speaks for itself. At last count, his Central Asia Institute had built fifty-five schools. Three Cups of Tea is at once an unforgettable adventure and the inspiring true story of how one man really is changing the world — one school at a time.
Review:
"Some failures lead to phenomenal successes, and this American nurse's unsuccessful attempt to climb K2, the world's second tallest mountain, is one of them. Dangerously ill when he finished his climb in 1993, Mortenson was sheltered for seven weeks by the small Pakistani village of Korphe; in return, he promised to build the impoverished town's first school, a project that grew into the Central Asia Institute, which has since constructed more than 50 schools across rural Pakistan and Afghanistan. Coauthor Relin recounts Mortenson's efforts in fascinating detail, presenting compelling portraits of the village elders, con artists, philanthropists, mujahideen, Taliban officials, ambitious school girls and upright Muslims Mortenson met along the way. As the book moves into the post-9/11 world, Mortenson and Relin argue that the United States must fight Islamic extremism in the region through collaborative efforts to alleviate poverty and improve access to education, especially for girls. Captivating and suspenseful, with engrossing accounts of both hostilities and unlikely friendships, this book will win many readers' hearts." Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)
Review:
"The harsh beauty of Afghanistan has always lured a certain hardy breed of Westerner, and the few who linger there inevitably become both addicted and disillusioned. Despite the overthrow of the repressive Taliban and the advent of democracy in 2001, the country continues to vex as much as it inspires — and the continuing deep U.S. involvement in its rebirth compels us to examine why. In..." Washington Post Book Review (read the entire Washington Post review)
Review:
"'[B]y delivering what his country will not, Mortenson is 'fighting the war on terror the way I think it should be conducted,' [coauthor] Relin writes. This inspiring, adventure-filled book makes that case admirably." Kirkus Reviews
Review:
"Three Cups of Tea is one of the most remarkable adventure stories of our time. Greg Mortenson's dangerous and difficult quest to build schools in the wildest parts of Pakistan and Afghanistan is not only a thrilling read, it's proof that one ordinary person, with the right combination of character and determination, really can change the world." Tom Brokaw
Review:
"Greg Mortenson represents the best of America. He's my hero. And after you read Three Cups of Tea, he'll be your hero, too."
U.S. representative Mary Bono (R-Calif.)
Review:
"Three Cups of Tea is beautifully written. It is also a critically important book at this time in history. The governments of Pakistan and Afghanistan are both failing their students on a massive scale. The work Mortenson is doing, providing the poorest students with a balanced education, is making them much more difficult for the extremist madrassas to recruit." Ahmed Rashid, best-selling author of Taliban: Militant Islam, Oil, and Fundamentalism in Central Asia
Review:
"Laced with drama, danger, romance, and good deeds, Mortenson's story serves as a reminder of the power of a good idea and the strength inherent in one person's passionate determination to persevere against enormous obstacles." Christian Science Monitor
About the Author
Greg Mortenson is the director of the Central Asia Institute. A resident of Montana, he spends several months of the year in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
David Oliver Relin is a contributing editor for Parade Magazine and Skiing Magazine. He has won more than forty national awards for his work as a writer and editor.
What Our Readers Are Saying
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Average customer rating based on 11 comments:
-
freshouttaegypt, April 14, 2008 (view all comments by freshouttaegypt)
This book changed my life. Greg Mortenson's story is engaging, relevant, and inspiring. Whenever I get discouraged or think that one person can't change the world, I think of this book and it reminds of what one person can do. In the seven months since I first read this book, I have seen it explode in popularity, which is great because it means that more people are seeing what "Dr. Greg" is doing and are helping to accomplish these goals. As a future teacher, I am very interested in and uplifted by how eager these children are to go to school and to learn, but I recommend this book to everyone. It is an absolutely amazing true story that will change your outlook on life.
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seattlesmith, March 19, 2008 (view all comments by seattlesmith)
Three Cups of Tea is one of the most inspirational books I've read. I've often had trouble, (when reading books about Iran, Iraq, and the middle east) keeping track of the people in the books because their names and language are so foreign to me (a personal flaw, I know). There was something about the way this story was told, that allowed me to get over that block. For which, I'm forever grateful.
While it's heartbreaking that we've avoided sincere dialogue with world leaders to end the Iraq war, I find hope through this book and I now know how I, as one simple person, can make a difference. Support the Central Asia Institute. This book is a must read.
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S Cohn, January 12, 2008 (view all comments by S Cohn)
This is a story of a what turns out to be a collective effort led by Greg Mortenson to educate the forgotten and poor in a region whose landscape is as harsh as the Western medias portrayal of it's people. Namely, the rural regions of Afghanistan and Pakistan. The traditional western partyline of a region dominated by "evil-doers" who wish to subjugate their people and promote hatred and killing of all "infidels" is shown to be patently false. Instead we see a realistic presentation of the peoples and cultures of the areas. In fact, these people are no different than us except perhaps in what they lack in material possessions they more than compensate for in spiritual possessions.
The story begins with Mortenson's failure to summit K2, of which the major contributing factor was his selfless rescue of another climber. A selflessness that is expected yet seldom demonstrated by many climbers. Here we see the major theme of this book and the reason for Mortenson's success- the triumph of social conscience over individualism.
We see the transformation of a browbeaten meanderer into the maestro of a movement ( Central Asia Institue ) which has overseen the development of 55 schools.
The author's writing is as lucid as it is emotive and captures a realism exceeded only by visiting the regions in question. Having visited the region I felt nostalgic and appreciated the comedic references. At some points I almost fell out of my chair laughing. For example when the author writes:
" A decade later, in the post 9/11 era, Morentson would often be asked by Americans about the danger he faced in the region from terrorists. " If I die in Pakistan, it'll be because of a traffic accident, not a bomb or bullet."
Ha Ha so true!!! Gotta love those taxi and bus drivers with people swinging from their ends like broken twigs in hurricane.
I found myself unable to put the book down until it was finished and I personally think Greg Mortenson deserves the Nobel Prize for his efforts!! I would also highly recommend reading Tino Georgiou's bestselling novel--The Fates--if you haven't yet!!
View all 11 comments
Product Details
- ISBN:
- 9780143038252
- Subtitle:
- One Man's Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a Time
- Author:
- Author:
- Author:
- Publisher:
- Penguin Books
- Subject:
- Educators
- Subject:
- Afghanistan
- Subject:
- Students & Student Life
- Subject:
- Middle East - General
- Subject:
- Pakistan
- Subject:
- Humanitarians
- Subject:
- Personal Memoirs
- Subject:
- Asia - Central Asia
- Publication Date:
- February 2007
- Binding:
- Paperback
- Language:
- English
- Illustrations:
- Y
- Pages:
- 349
- Dimensions:
- 8.47x5.56x.86 in. .79 lbs.
