Greg Mortenson
Three Cups of Tea: One Man’s Mission to Promote Peace...One School at a Time (2006)
Author: Greg Mortenson (with David Oliver Relin)
Genre: Memoir (Journeys and Places)
Book Summary:
In 1993, Greg Mortenson unsuccessfully attempted to climb Pakistan’s K2, the second-highest mountain on Earth. After descending the mountain, he accidentally stumbled into the remote village of Korphe, where he ended up staying while he recovered from his climb. When he saw the state of the village’s school and learned more about Pakistan’s weak educational system, he decided to build them a school, despite having no savings or resources to do so. He returned to the United States and over the next year worked to raise the necessary funds. It was only after he had done so that he came to understand how complicated it would be to get a school built, and he had to find ways around the political obstacles he encountered in Pakistan. He also realized that there was a need for more schools around the country. With the help of several generous donors he founded the Central Asia Institute and built over 55 schools, as well as vocational centers for women.
Geographical Setting: Pakistan and the United States (California and Montana)
Time Period: 1993-present (2006)
Appeal Characteristics:
The storyline is layered. On the surface it is about a man and his dream, but deep political and religious issues are also explored. There is strong characterization with both the primary and secondary characters. Getting to know Mortenson is important to understanding his story and the reader also gets to know the secondary characters in his life, from his wife to the people he works with in Pakistan to the American donors to the Central Asia Institute. The authors strike a balanced tone between Mortenson’s optimism and the at-times grim reality of the political state in Pakistan. The writing style is very descriptive: the reader is able to visualize both the people Mortenson interacts with as well as the scenery, which is both beautiful and bleak. The pacing is slow; the story develops over time and the authors do not rush its telling. However, the story is so compelling that many readers will find themselves reading quickly to find out how things progress.
Read-alikes: If readers enjoyed true stories of humanitarian heroes helping people in third-world countries, they might also like reading The Man Who Fed the World: Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Norman Borlaug and His Battle to End World Hunger, by Leon Hesser. In this biography, Norman Borlaug discovered high-yielding wheat varieties that saved millions of lives from famine in developing countries. Throughout his long life, he motto has been “don’t tell me what can’t be done, tell me what needs to be done- and let me do it.” Another book readers might be interested in is In the Name of Honor: A Memoir, by Mukhtar Mai for the setting in Pakistan and issues dealing with women and education. In this memoir, Mai was condemned by her village to be gang-raped because her younger brother was believed to have seduced an older woman. She sued the council before the supreme court of Pakistan, won and started a school for girls. Readers might also enjoy There is No Me Without You: One Woman’s Odyssey to Rescue Her Country’s Children, by Melissa Fay Greene. In this compelling and well-researched memoir of Haregewoin Teferra, a small, widow who took more than eighty AIDS orphans into her home in Ethiopia. Included in the book is information about AIDS, history of Ethiopia and the inaction of the pharmaceutical companies to help. If readers enjoyed the slow pace story of world travel and meeting people from other cultures, they might like The Places in Between, by Rory Stewart. In it, Stewart walks across Afghanistan soon after the Taliban were deposed and even as their country is in shambles, meets many hospitable and friendly people throughout his journey. If readers enjoyed the inspirational, compelling story of one man seeing the importance of educating the poor, they may also like The Gospel of Father Joe: Revolutions and Revelations in the Slums of Bangkok, by Greg Barett. In it, a Catholic priest found horrible school conditions in Bangkok, Thailand and struggled to create two organizations that are now responsible for thirty-two preschools, and have taught more than seventy-thousand children to read. Readers interested in learning more about high-altitude mountain climbing might be interested in Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster by Jon Krakauer, a memoir with strong characterization and a slowly building pace, about Krakauer’s attempt to climb Mt. Everest, which turned deadly for many in his group. The Last Step: The American Ascent of K2 by Rick Ridgeway is about the first group of Americans to climb K2 and the troubles and tension they experienced in their attempt. It has a detailed writing style that allows the reader to feel as though he is experiencing the tale personally, as well as strong characterization. Broken Verses, by Kamila Shamsie, is a novel about a Pakistani woman who must uncover what happened to her mother and her mother’s lover, who both fell victim to the corrupt government. It has strong characterization with very well-developed characters and a character-centered storyline. Another memoir with an optimistic tone, as well as strong characterization is Kabul Beauty School by Deborah Rodriguez, about the author’s attempt to start a beauty school in Afghanistan.
Red Flags: Discussion of the war on Afghanistan
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