Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson

For quite awhile I had been hearing about Greg Mortenson and told to read his book, Three Cups of Tea. Now that I have, I see why. It is a very important book. It was interesting to read about his experiences, how he went from mountain climber to building schools for girls in Pakistan. In today's society we all know that education is important for everyone. It is very sad that some people are limited in such a way as in Pakistan and Afghanistan, where Mortenson is building his schools.

I found the story very touching. He met a lot of interesting people. I especially enjoyed reading about the reactions of the kids when the schools were built, after having conducted classes outside with just sticks to write with and dirt to write in. It was also inspiring to read about the first girl from Korphe, the village in Pakistan where Mortenson started his movement, who went to university.

I learned a lot about the culture of that area, and of the hard times that went on there from the 90's up until now. Mortenson always immersed himself, taking care to learn their traditions and participate, almost becoming a native. He was not afraid to be in the middle of riots and war zones. He actually liked to be where the action was. He wanted to help the people in these affected areas, especially the children, in any way he could. The best part of the book was that you really get to know the people he meets well. You start to care for them as if you know them personally. Mortenson has changed the minds of some of the most prejudiced people he meets, endeared them. It seems that most people who met him couldn't help but like him, which helped his cause tremendously.

I didn't like the writing style of the book. It is written in third person, by someone other than Mortenson himself. This is fine, but it turns more into a biography of Mortenson's life. Sometimes I felt like this approach included too many personal details, and the point at times wandered from the projects in the Middle East for pages at a time. Aside from this however, Three Cups of Tea has a very powerful message, and I recommend it to everyone.