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 One man against an ocean of need . . . July 28, 2006
Ronald Scheer (Los Angeles)
323 out of 343 found this review helpful
This is an as-told-to biography of American Greg Mortenson, who has devoted his life to building schools in the remotest mountains of Pakistan. After a failed attempt to scale the earth's second highest peak, K2, he stumbles into an isolated mountain village, where he resolves to repay the generosity of the village leader and his people by building them a school. Mortenson's struggle to fulfill that promise and then committing himself to fund raising and building many more schools, for both boys and girls in this Muslim country, is the central subject of this long, well detailed book.
Rising gamely to meet all obstacles, including his own naivte, errors in judgment, and lack of financial resources, Mortenson falls back on skills and values learned as the son of Lutheran missionaries in Africa. Along the way he encounters others who have the money, the connections, and the abilities to help him on his mission, in both the U.S. and Pakistan. There are frustrations that would discourage the best of us, and there are sudden unexpected turns of fortune that rescue his efforts from oblivion. The book is a lesson in how a real field of dreams comes into being, and it is a quiet rebuff to those who seek change and order in the world's trouble spots through shock-and-awe military might.
Writer David Relin's worshipful account of Mortenson's career draws heavily on "Parade"-style drama, suspense, and sentiment. At times readers may yearn for more objectivity and wonder how much Relin might be glossing over his subject. Still, the story has a momentum of its own, and you read on, as Mortenson's fragile achievements are threatened by other forces set loose by the anti-West indoctrination of Saudi-funded madrassah schools, the emergence of the Talibabn, and the post-9/11 attacks on Afghanistan. Recommended for readers who enjoy heartfelt and inspiring stories of unusual achievement by heroically generous individuals.
 A blueprint for making a difference April 4, 2006
Sam Carpenter (Bend, OR USA)
392 out of 424 found this review helpful
After four trips over the past three years to Pakistan and Azad Kashmir, and after founding Kashmir Family Aid (www.kashmirfamily.org) to aid victims of the Oct 8, 2005 earthquake, I whole-heartedly endorse Greg Mortenson and his work. This book adds new life to the over-wraught dictum that "one CAN make a difference." Beyond that, if one wants to truly get inside the rural Pakistani's heart and soul, this is mandatory reading.
My personal experience has been that once I met these people (and yes, had tea with them in their tiny homes, or in the quake region, in their tents), it was difficult to want to leave to return to the West. It's a hard thing to explain but Mortenson's book will absolutely do the job. A powerful thread within his story: It would be impossible not to love these people after getting to know them one-on one.
These remote village people are simple, strong and proud. Their lives are spent nurturing their families and working hard in a politically and environmentally tortured region. BUY THE BOOK, get inside the people of this place and then send Greg Mortenson your donation.
One man's remarkable vision March 11, 2006
JeepRoad (Arlington, VA)
120 out of 126 found this review helpful
"Three Cups of Tea" is a compelling account of the difference one fiercely determined person can make in the world. I won't use this space to repeat the descriptions already covered in the editorial reviews, but Greg Mortenson's passion for educating children, especially girls, in the rugged mountain regions of northern Pakistan is truly remarkable. The relationships he has patiently built with local people and moderate Muslim leaders in the area over many years are key to his success.
In addition to education, Mortenson's Central Asia Institute funds projects that provide health care and clean water. He is also building schools in northern Afghanistan, again with the support of local people.
One alarming chapter of the book includes a discussion of the spread of fundamentalist madrassas in the mountain regions of Pakistan, which should deeply concern Americans, including the government. It is essential for Americans to support Mortenson's Central Asia Institute initiatives to provide children with educational alternatives.
"Three Cups of Tea" is very well written, with heartfelt portraits of courageous people. It is a superb and moving story of an exceptional man.
Teach the children January 23, 2009
Julie Neal (Sanibel Island, Fla.)
54 out of 54 found this review helpful
Written for kids 8 and up, this young reader's edition of Three Cups of Tea tells the inspirational story of Greg Mortenson and his selfless mission to build schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Mortenson's original book, Three Cups of Tea, has become a worldwide bestseller. Since the goal is about building schools and educating kids, this book and the newly published picture book Listen to the Wind are naturals.
When mountaineer Mortenson got lost in the Pakistani mountains after a failed attempt at climbing K2, he was rescued by the villagers in impoverished Korphe. As he was nursed back to health, Mortenson was shocked to learn that Korphe's children had no school, with lessons taught outdoors just three days a week. Kids learned to write using sticks in the dirt. To repay the village's kindness, Mortenson promised to return, and help build a school.
Mortenson did come back to Korphe, and has indeed helped build not just one but fifty-five schools -- many for girls -- in both Pakistan and Afghanistan.
The idea of "three cups of tea" comes from Korphe's village chief, Haji Ali. "With the first cup of tea you are a stranger, with the second you become a friend, and with the third, you join our family."
Many parts of Mortenson's story are thrilling as he describes his adventures in such a dangerous part of the world. A trip to Afghanistan, for example, comes complete with red rocks that signal land mines: "There are millions of land mines buried all over Afghanistan, left there by armies after years and years of war. When one is found -- usually because it explodes -- rocks in the area are painted red, as a warning."
A story like this is both inspiring and eye-opening, and should help kids feel closer to children in other parts of the world.
Bonus features include maps of the region; a foreword by Dr. Jane Goodall; an interview with Mortenson's teenage daughter Amira, who has traveled with him in his work; and two sections of color photos printed on glossy paper.
Here's the chapter list:
Maps
Foreword by Dr. Jane Goodall
Introduction
Chapter 1: Failure
Chapter 2: The Wrong Side of the River
Chapter 3: I'm Going to Build You a School
Chapter 4: Growing Up
Chapter 5: 580 Letters, One Check
Chapter 6: Hard Way Home
Chapter 7: Korphe at Last
Chapter 8: A Bridge Before a School
Chapter 9: Hunting Ibex
Chapter 10: Building Bridges
Chapter 11: Six Days
Chapter 12: Beginnings
Chapter 13: Haji Ali's Lesson
Chapter 14: A Smile Should Be More Than a Memory
Chapter 15: A Picture
Chapter 16: New Schools -- and More
Chapter 17: Running From War
Chapter 18: Too Much to Do
Chapter 19: A Village Called New York
Chapter 20: Afghanistan
Chapter 21: The First Educated Woman in Korphe
Chapter 22: Stones into Schools
Q&A with Amira Mortenson
Time Line
Glossary
Who's Who in Three Cups of Tea
Readers Guide
So Much More Than Just a Book March 29, 2007
Terry Kalil (Minnesota Northwoods)
45 out of 46 found this review helpful
It's a book but then so are the latest bestsellers yet they offer nothing beyond a mindless distraction. To say Three Cups of Tea is about peace is to say that Mortensen goes hiking in the mountains. To say it's about building schools in the most desolate, remote, obscure part of the planet is to say an idealistic young man had a wild idea.
Mortenson and co-author David Oliver Relin bring the reader to the foot of K2, into a village so isolated from everything that there doesn't even exist a bridge to connect them to the world beyond the raging river that flows from the glacier fields. There Mortenson introduces us to children so eager to learn they work multiplication tables in the dirt without benefit of a teacher or books.
How does this man, so grateful to the people who saved his life, repay them? One school at a time. It's a truely inspirational story of what any of us, including a kid born in Minnesota, can do to change the world. The fact that the book is also a true page-turner and is so "can't put it down, don't interrupt me, I gotta know what happens next" good makes this must reading for every high school senior, every empty-nester, every one of us wondering what to do with the rest of our lives. Although I likely won't venture to the high mountains of Pakistan or Tibet, Mortenson has inspired me to find a way to make a difference. Go read it and find your inspiration!!!
Showing reviews 1-5 of 2287
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