Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Fight Terrorism and Build Nations

A remarkable book that should be read by all Americans. Some of the criticism and quibbles concerning the book and Mortenson are justified, and you sense that the authors would agree with some, yet they are dwarfed by only a few of the "take-aways." Here is a man whose passion was mountain-climbing, and he tackled one of the very hardest in the world, K-2. Serendipity, coupled with exhaustion, lead him into an unlikely village, where the warmest care and hospitality was given to this stranger. Suddenly his eyes were opened to more than mountain peaks; he saw what had always been around him--the lives of those who did the grunt work that got so many mountaineers to the top. He decided to repay the hospitality with more than words, by giving the village of Korphe something desperately wanted and needed--a school for its children. It was a $12,000 promise that he kept.To fulfill that promise he had to master a learning curve in business and social relations as steep as many of the mountains he climbed. He quotes from Helena Norberg-Hodge's "Ancient Futures": "but that industrialized countries had lessons to learn from people like Ladakhis about building suitable societies." Yes, learning is a two way street when cultures meet, in contrast to a prevailing attitude of all too many Americans abroad that "you'll become a better person if you become more like me." Sometimes that takes the form of: "We're just here to help you by bringing you Democracy... as long as you vote the right way." In the chapter appropriately entitled "Haji Ali's Lesson" Mortenson internalizes Norberg-Hodge's dictum after Haji Ali's rebuke: "Doctor Greg, you must make time to share three cups of tea. We may be uneducated. But we are not stupid. We have lived and survived here for a long time." Hence the book's title, and I think Relin did a brilliant and understated juxtaposition of this outlook with that of the insufferable Rumsfeld, who would not even offer Mortenson a seat during their brief meeting in his office. Mortenson also had the insight to convey the image of the hoard of earnest young men in the Pentagon, clutching their laptops, avoiding eye-contact, as they scurried from one office to the next. No doubt the numbers on those laptops were as fanciful as that other hoard on Wall Street who were, until very recently, trading collateralized debt obligations (CDO's).The portrait of Syed Abbas, a conservative, bearded Shia cleric, in the "Red Velvet Box" chapter was quite valuable. I have a sense of unease when I see a beard on a Muslim, and the wilder looking it is, the deeper the unease, knowing that it is a reflection of their "fundamentalism." Abbas was conservative, yes, but in a good sense of the word, and deeply cared for the well-being of the people in his area, and was not so rigid about non-believers that he could not see the good that Mortenson was doing. There are many Abbas's in the Islamic world. One of Mortenson's greatest achievements was appealing to Islamic courts, not once, but twice, concerning fatwas that had been issued against him, and in both cases the courts upheld him. A rule of law that we could learn some lessons from. I liked the choice of chapter epigraphs, particularly the two, back to back, for chapters 19 and 20. One was graffiti spray-painted on the courtyard of the Korphe school: "The time of arithmetic and poetry is past. Nowadays, my brothers, take our lessons from the Kalashnikov and the rocket-propelled grenade." The second was from a bumper sticker seen in his hometown of Bozeman, Montana: "Nuke `em All--Let Allah Sort Them Out." The intolerance, and mindless combativeness of each side.I read all the 1 and 2 star reviews. What were these people's complaints? There were the factual errors of the reviewers, for example, the claim that he spent a million dollars to build one school. Several thought that Relin's rhetorical flourishes were overdone. Occasionally they were, but these reviewers would have been giving James Joyce and Marcel Proust minus 5 stars. Some thought Mortenson was "anti-American"! But what sentient American patriot would not be critical of so much of American domestic and foreign policy over the last 8 years? Others saw the flaw, as did Haji Ali, that Mortenson was a micro-manager who could not delegate. It was one that he saw himself, leading to adjustments with a Board and even a Bozeman staff. Others complained about the editing - true enough - but that seems to be SOP for the big publishing houses - there is a spelling mistake that "Spell Check" would have caught on page 272. But by using these quibbles to trash the entire book, well, I thought of a paraphrase from a Paul Simon song: "... and their bookmarks measured what they lost."Based on the financial information posted on the Central Asia Institute's website, for the latest fiscal year, ending in Sept. '07, they had income of only three and a half million dollars. He has done a remarkable job with an amount that would be a rounding error on a new Pentagon weapon's system. If he was given three additional zeros, yes, three billion dollars, would he be able to handle it? Probably not, but I might give him a 40% chance that he could. Consider that the American taxpayer (and their children's children) have given one US Bank - Citicorp, at least 50 billion dollars, and what do they have to show for it? Schools are not the sole answer to conflict resolution - the ultimate proof is the departing President, "educated," or at least graduated from, two of the finest educational institutions in the United States, including the very coveted Harvard MBA. But schools are much more a step in the right direction than yet more weapons systems. Clean water, sufficient food, and a lack of bombs falling on one's head also helps, something that Mortenson clearly recognizes.There are many other valuable insights and lessons in this wonderful book that should be read for years to come.

Try as I might I've never been much good at breaking the rules. I always studied for spelling tests, wait to be seated by a hostess even if there is an available table right in front of me and no other people in line, and bypass parking spaces that are reserved for the "Handicapped," "an employee of the month," or "expectant mothers." Admittedly, my law abidingness is not always about having a super active conscience. Ever since being exposed to the idea that there might be candid cameras lurking about, I just can't take the risk that I might throw caution to the wind only to have my moment's wild and crazy decision caught on video. (Okay, sometimes I taste a grape before buying a whole bunch, but that's just good shopping!)That said, I often break one of the cardinal rules of book buying. Even though it's common knowledge that you can't judge a book by its cover, I do so on a regular basis. I'm a sucker for a pretty picture or fancy lettering. Sometimes, this particular way of choosing reading material doesn't work very well, but just as often it does.Take for example, the cover photo of Three Cups of Tea - One Man's Mission to Promote Peace ... One School at a Time. The three, young girls pictured are so busy reading that they seem not to even notice the camera photographing them. You can't see their undoubtedly big, brown eyes, but you get the sense that they are Middle Eastern beauties about to embark on a journey that will change not only their lives, but those of their community and nation, and perhaps the world.Well, maybe you have to read the title of the book to get that much out of the picture, but still it's captivating. Three Cups of Tea is, hands-down, the best book I've read in awhile. In a world where Republicans are sending American men and women into harm's way, and Democrats are threatening to cut off funding for their mission and safety; where suicide bombers don't seem to care who they take with them to meet Allah; and where mothers and fathers of several nations cry as they bury their children, Greg Mortenson has not only conceived of a possible way towards peace, he has put his ideas to the test - and begun to make a difference in small Pakistani villages.Mortenson was raised in the shadow of Mt. Kilimanjaro by Lutheran missionaries. He climbed his first "serious" mountain at the age of eleven and was "hooked forever on climbing." Fast forward several years to the point in Mortenson's life where a failed attempt to summit Pakistan's 28,267 foot K2, a chance encounter with the inhabitants of the mountain village of Korphe, and, let's face it, the almighty hand of God merged together to re-direct one climber's and several children's future.Three Cups of Tea is a fascinating read. Co-author and journalist David Oliver Relin, combines several literary elements - adventure, biography, history, geography, romance, and hair-raising suspense - to tell Mortenson's story of keeping a promise to the village elder to return to Korphe one day to build a school. It tells of Mortenson's capture by people so fierce that even Alexander the Great decided to leave them alone, as well as his ability to eat, drink and sleep in some pretty raunchy (by my standards) places. It tells of Mortenson's respect for, and delight ,people who have a different religion and way of life, but who believe in the power of a text book to change lives.It's impossible to succinctly re-tell even a part of the story, but I can tell you that Mortenson miraculously returns to Pakistan time and time again, to construct bridges, schools and friendships. When he is not traveling half way around the world, Mortenson manages to forge a relationship with a new bride (who never whines, as I am sure I would have, "what about ME???"), raise a family, and stay in constant motion while trying to raise funds for his school building crusade. Suffice it to say, the man rarely sleeps.In Three Cups of Tea, Mortenson and Relin offer a very real possibility of peace, even in a world where children are as familiar with IED's as they are pencils. Education, especially for the young girls, is the means they've found to combat the Taliban's influence in some of the world's remotest areas.I encourage you to set aside some time to read and enjoy the book. If you don't trust the cover or my recommendation check out some of the other reviews here on Amazon. After reading the book, process its message of hope, then follow your heart and one of Mortenson's suggestions at the end of the book.Happy reading!ME

This book chronicles the fight of one American against age-old suppression of and denial of education to young girls from the remote Gilgit- Baltistan region nestled in the Western Himalayas.I presented this book to a German gentleman who has been looking after some handicapped (including highly mentally retarded) orphan youths from in and around Kolkata for the past 35 years, sacrificing his own lucrative career as a Bank Manager. Without him, they might already have been dead.

This is a memory of great people, but I do not know it could promote social cohesion or take us to parts of pieces.

Me ha gustado el libro porque cuenta una historia real. Me ha servido para conocer como vive la gente en las montañas de Pakistán y la gran labor que izo Greg ayudando a construir escuelas.

Sujet très intéressant, surtout quand, comme moi, on a été enseignant et qu'on est une femme.Bien écrit. Je recommande cette lecture.

I never thought I'd give this book 5 stars (official 4.5), having got to 39% and debating a two star score!Firstly, this book has been on my to read list for years, I'm passionate about the subject and love reading anything set in this area of the World. My expectations were high, as were the reviews that led this to my to read shelf in the first place.The start of the book is a great introduction to Greg Mortenson, his climbing career, his team and ambitions. When he fails at his most recent climbing expedition and loses contact with his team, he spends a lonely night, fighting the cold and extreme conditions high altitude in the Karakoram mountains has to offer. The next day, tired and weak he finds his porter, only to lose him again and stumble upon a village called Korphe.The hospitality of the Korphe leader Haji Ali and his family, warms Greg's heart, and after seeing the village children learning with sticks, outside in the dust, Greg vows to repay the kindness he'd received by returning and building a school.Great... Well maybe not, the next few chapters flitted between Greg's struggle back in the USA to raise money for the school, to his weird infatuation with a woman with full lips who became his girlfriend. I can't even remember her name, she was so irrelevant, that I have no idea why she was included in the book. This part of the book Greg spent feeling sorry for himself, a lot.So skimming over few chapters to where the real action begins, I began to love the story. How selfless could one person get, on the other hand I found myself feeling sorry for his new wife, Tara, having to put up with him.The only other negative to this book, may be due to the fact there were two authors. I loved the descriptive scenes, giving me several lumps in my throat, but it kept jumping to a very interview based, journalistic style. While interesting to hear the views of the many people Greg met along the way, I didn't appreciate being dragged out of my scene making!Whilst my review may not sound positive, I am merely pointing out the negatives. If you want to read a story of friendship, hope and determination, all in a country fighting the effects of several wars (not just military), then read this book!I will be reading the next book in the series "Stones into Schools" and seeing how the charity CAI have progressed in recent years. I find it highly topical, with the recent shooting of school girl Malala Yousafzai in Pakistan, that the fight for girls education in Muslim countries continues.