Three Cups of Tea, by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin

Peace through Education

Don’t think the actions of one person amounts to a hill of beans? You’ll think differently after reading this account of Greg Mortenson, who to date has built over 60 schools for boys and girls in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Greg’s story starts in Pakistan in 1993 with his attempt to climb K2, the second highest mountain in the world, to place a necklace in memory of his recently deceased sister, Christa. His team was unable to reach the summit and turns back. Lagging behind his guide, Mouzafer, Greg takes the fork in the trail that leads to the village of Korphe, not Askole, where his party awaits.

Exhausted from his three months in the mountains, Greg is taken in by the family of the village chief, Haji Ali, and nursed back to health. On a walk during his recovery, he is stunned to see children scratching school lessons in the dirt with a stick, as they have no school, no supplies and a teacher just a few days each week.

Greg decides to repay the villagers’ many kindnesses and honor his sister’s memory by building a school. Greg had barely enough money to return to his home in the United States, let alone build a school. He wasn’t sure how he would accomplish this, but he was determined to do so.

This is the wonderful story of how he achieved his goal, and gives us a glimpse into a part of the world and its Muslim inhabitants in a way few of us have ever experienced. Greg now dedicates his life to promoting peace through education, one child at a time.

Sarah Thomson adapted the story into a Young Adult format (with the same title) and by Greg as a juvenile book entitled “Listen to the Wind”

For more information, go to his websites: www.threecupsoftea.org or www.gregmortenson.com

Reviewed by a staff member, First Regional Library

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