A little late jumping on this bandwagon, but what a fascinating book this was! When he became disoriented during a descent from a failed attempt at climbing K2, Greg Mortenson found himself in a tiny, poor Pakistani village. Seeing the children doing their lessons by scratching in the dirt with sticks, he vowed to come back and build a school for them. He made good on his promise--and then some! A fascinating look at what one man can do to make the world a better place. Of course, this particular man was so driven, so obsessed with accomplishing this goal that he left his family for months at a time, and when he was home often was no more than the man in the basement. He had some wonderful strokes of good luck (financial support, especially) that helped him succeed, and also developed strong friendships with people in Pakistan who were also supportive of his dreams. What a man! What a big, big man! ( )

PLUS –
• Inspiring and uplifting. Lots of real ‘feel-good’ aspects to this true story
• Fascinating insight into the cultures and lifestyles in a little known region of the world

MINUS –
• Sometimes a bit difficult to keep track of who people were, but that’s because I’m unaccustomed to Pakistani / Afghan names. A list would have been helpful though. ( )

I really had no idea what to expect from this book before reading it for my book group. The first half, describing Mortenson's happening into the village and struggle to build the school he promised was for me, the best part. I found it a very accessible book, easy to keep reading (or skimming, anyway) after my interest started to dip. As a community read, coupled with a lecture event by co-author Relin, made for a satisfying experience overall. ( )

Greg Mortenson was a mountain climber who came to Pakistan to climb K-2 and leave a memorial to his sister on top. He failed to make it to the top. Instead, he accidentally wandered into a remote village and discovered his life's work, funding and founding schools, especially for Muslim girls. Mortenson's story is inspiring, and in this dark world it is comforting to read such a tale. Yet, while reading the book, my skeptical brain kept buzzing my living-in-fantasy-world brain and reminding it that the story read like a script from a made-for-tv movie. Everyone that met Mortenson liked him. He and his wife met and married after knowing each other for four days. Mortenson and his family lived a life of deep poverty in order to send every possible penny to his schools. I hope this is an accurate story of Mortenson and his mission, yet I can't help but feel this is an account written by a fan, not a careful journalist. ( )

OK read about one man's great accomplishment in building relationships and schools. What Greg Mortenson was able to do with pure persistance is admirable indeed. 50 schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan and counting! There's a lot that NGOs and our government can learn from him about winning hearts and minds, taking a backseat to local customs and elders, and stretching a dollar. I generally don't like stories about mountaineers--their selfish exploits, their exploitation of locals, their foolhardy adventures. So it was good to see someone who looked beyond the mountains to the people of Pakistan. What a unique man. Certainly quirky. Not perfect by any means. Can a program like this be duplicated? Does it depend on someone like Greg? The writing isn't really exceptional. The author is certainly no Tracy Kidder (Mountains Beyond Mountains) and I would have liked to see him tackle some of the larger issues (effectiveness of other programs, implications of teaching English in the schools, etc.) but I guess that wasn't the purpose.With the success of this book, Mortenson is making the rounds talking to groups and raising money. Glad to see success come his way. ( )