"Three Cups of Tea"

I just finished reading the book, "Three Cups of Tea" by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin. I bought the book thinking I would dive into a story about a heroic man who went to the middle east to establish schools for girls. I was surprised to find that the book was about a mountain climber who attempted to climb K2. It is amazing to me that people will risk their lives and that of others to climb mountains. While it takes admirable stamina and bravery to attempt such feats, I was looking for a story about schools.

I stuck with the story and learned about more than schools or programs. I learned about rugged terrain, unfamiliar cultures, and brave people. I was amazed at the whole process of starting a massive project with no money, experience, or support. Dogged determination, gratitude, and passion for a people drove Greg Mortenson to persevere until a school was built.

I read several reviews of this book on Amazon. Reviewers were quick to call Mortenson a great hero or to call him an overzealous ramroder. While most people felt the book was exceptional, a few thought it was poorly written and glossed over Mortenson's short comings. But one of the things I really like about the book was the fact that the author showed Mortenson as a hero as well as compassionate, independent, and obsessed with his mission. Every hero has a human side, and anyone who accomplishes the magnitude of work that Mortenson did, will have his faults. I thought the book showed both sides of Mortenson very clearly. Through his journey, we also saw how a man who began by single-handedly attempting to build programs in a country he knew little about, learned to work with the people and cultures he lived with. I would highly recommend this book, not for it's literary style, but for the shear breadth of experiences, accomplishments and adventures through worlds we often know little about.

"Here (in Pakistan and Afghanistan), we drink three cups of tea to do business; the first you are a stranger, the second you become a friend, and the third, you join our family, and for our family we are prepared to do anything--even die."
- Haji Ali, Korphe Village Chief, Karakoram Mountains, Pakistan ("Three Cups of Tea")


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