Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a Time

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 show more 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 55 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. show less

I’d like to think I would have spotted this as an overblown exaggeration! The guy practically walks on water. Maybe some good came out of his work but that does not justify the means which include self-aggrandizement, lies and misappropriation of funds. I guess people want to believe things can be done in a superhero sort of way ie: with good will by one man. This type of nonsense just makes it more difficult for the real heroes out there.

For being a person that does not read much non-fiction because I just don't usually enjoy it, I will tell you that this book gripped my heart and I'm sure it has earned a place in my memory as one of the most important books that I have ever read. I know there are many missionaries and organizations out there trying to help people in war-tattered and underdeveloped countries, but Mortenson's personal mission seemed to me to be the most unselfish and heartfelt account that I have heard in quite a long time.

It was purely accidental when Mortenson luckily stumbled into the Korphe village in Pakistan. Exhausted from physical exertion, the people in this village nursed Mortenson back to health. When he finally awakens from his slumber and show more starts to spend some time getting to know the villagers he learns that the children come last as far as governmental spending goes. His heart breaks from the knowledge that the children in this village will never have the opportunity of an education that is so easily given in America. This starts the beginning of his mission as he promises the Korphe leader, and his new friend, Haji Ali, that he will return to this village to build a school.

Mortenson didn't come from a family blessed with unlimited amounts of money and he worked very hard as a nurse to earn his way. He returned to the United States so he could work as much as possible to save money for the Korphe school. He lived in such a frugal manner that he even slept in his car some evenings. He found himself feeling guilty if he were to spend any of his money on himself rather than saving it for the school. Even after saving every penny that he is able to earn, he accepts the fact that it will just take too long for him to earn enough money to buy the materials for the school, so he starts to solicit funds from outside organizations. From his efforts he is able to share his vision with a few individuals that also see the importance of his cause so he is able to return to Pakistan sooner than he had originally expected.

The roadblocks that Mortenson endured along the way could have easily swayed the average person. I can only imagine how he felt when he returned to Korphe with the ability to build the school, only to learn that before they build the school they have to erect a bridge! I could feel his frustrations when he learned of this, knowing that his project was going to be postponed for probably a year. But he seemed to collect his emotions and resolve the matter by figuring out what they needed to do to build a bridge.

We learn a lot about the Balti culture and traditions from Mortenson's experience. Just conducting normal business was so different from the quick customer service that we receive here in the United States. Haji Ali taught him that it is just as important to build relationships as trying to accomplish daily tasks.

Once Mortenson was able to embrace this slow paced way of life, his efforts in the area thrived. Village leaders seeked out Mortenson hoping that he would want to build a school in their villages. Mortenson made it quite clear to the Pakistanis that he wasn't looking to change their way of life, but only provide the children with a balanced education.

Mortenson was building a school in Pakistan when the attack on the Twin Towers took place on 9/11. I can only imagine the danger he was in by being an American citizen in that land, but he had built strong relationships with people that were willing to put their lives on the line to protect him if necessary. Mortenson made a trip to Capitol Hill shortly after 9/11 to share the work that he has been doing and what he had learned about terrorism. Here is an excerpt from page 292 about what he shared with a congressman:
"I've learned that terror doesn't happen because some group of people somewhere like Pakistan or Afghanistan simply decide to hate us. It happens because children aren't being offered a bright enough future that they have a reason to choose life over death."

I think I could probably go on about this book all day long, as it really touched my heart in a way that I can't explain. Mortenson's work continues as he heads the Central Asia Institute that helps to build schools in Afghanistan and Pakistan. This story brought tears to my eyes as I think of how Morteson put his life on the line to help these children.

I read this book with my book club and we all were very inspired by it and I would definitely suggest this book for other book groups. We have been trying to think of a way that we might be able to help Mortenson with his mission so I will be sure to post an update once we make a final decision on that. I will end this review by saying this is the first non-fiction book that I have absolutely loved and I also want to thank Mr. Mortenson for his continuing and selfless work that he does for these children! show less

" Last month, an investigation from 60 Minutes and writer Jon Krakauer found that Three Cups of Teaauthor Greg Mortenson, the raffish philanthropist and founder of 170 schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan, had fabricated parts of his amazing backstory. Worse, 60 Minutes visited 30 of the schools supposedly built by his Central Asia Institute and found half empty or unsupported by the nonprofit. More stories of “ ghost schools” emerged after the program aired.

The Three Cups of Tea scandal has led to soul-searching and anger among charitable givers and recipients. Nonprofits are scrambling to better account for their dollars. Aid workers in the region are grumbling about the crass imperialist narrative that helped popularize CAI, with show more a heroic First World dude swooping in to rescue Third World kids.

But the most important lesson of the scandal, and one that hasn’t gotten any attention, is something entirely different. It is a lesson that applies not just to Mortenson’s organization but also to charities that are much-better run: Stop building schools. Or rather, it is a mistake to devote much money or attention to constructing physical school buildings. Throwing up structures is simple. Educating children is a much more complex, expensive, and necessary goal." Anne Lowrey show less

When I first read this book in 2007, I gave it 4 stars because it was a very inspiring story. With everything that was going on in the world at that time, Mortensen seemed like he was he was one of the people in this world who were working toward peace and change. It even inspired me to become an English teacher for people from Central Asia and other areas afflicted by conflict. I rooted for him to win the Nobel Peace Prize when he was nominated in 2009 and was surprised when he didn't win. I did some research and found out he did not win because the Nobel Commitee could not substantiate many of the claims he made. I dismissed this because travel to the region was difficult. Then I looked into volunteering with his institution. The show more website said that they did not want workers, only financial donations. Strange, but considering the location I did not find the request unusual.

A few years later I was shocked to learn that details of the story were exaggerated, truncated, and outright fabricated. He misappropriated millions of dollars, and his co-author died tragically by his own hand after learning the truth. It is not unusual for people running a charity to end up in a situation where things spiral out of control, but there comes a time when they have to swallow their pride and ask for help. Someone died. How many of those children were actually helped?

This book started as inspirational and ended as tragedy. I now rate this book with 2 stars because it inspired me in my own life to become an ESL teacher. Hopefully others running charitable organizations can learn from the tragic mistakes. show less

Reading this book felt like a journey through time, back to the 1990s and 2000s. In many ways, this book is a unique view of the forces behind extremism from the perspective of the remote people of mountainous Pakistan. Greg Mortenson, mountaineer turned charity foundation director, poured his energy into building schools - for both boys and girls - in the remote regions of Pakistan after he failed in an attempt to climb K2. Reading this book, I wanted to both cheer on Mortenson's work and encourage the man to take a day off for vacation. I also did have a few nagging suspicions about him - you know how you sometimes know you're reading about someone you'd never get along with even if they're portrayed as a saint? (A quick Google search show more proved me right.) Still, I couldn't help but concur with the general thrust of the book - which was to argue that education has the potential to bring more prosperity and goodwill to this part of the world than military action. show less

First, I admire what Mortenson is doing;my review is of the book, not the person. Next, I understand that memoir is a tricky genre. That said, this book was a disappointment to me. The "ghost writer's" voice seemed inauthentic. I wasn't convinced that the experiences and emotional reactions were true. In my opinion, that's what really great memoir does; it takes us into another person's experience. When I find myself doubting the veracity of the narrator, the experience is ruined for me. This book felt like a long fundraising narrative. Having read plenty of missionaries "letters" of the same genre, I know it when I see it.