Three Cups of Tea
by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin

Three Cups of Tea portrays the Pakistan and Afghanistan that the mainstream media won't. It explains how one man, through a failed attempt at climbing K2 discovered maybe the only way to fight the war on terror, by providing an unbiased education to the poor of this part of the world. He explains how the madrassas have recuited the poor men of the region to their Muslim extremist schools, sponsored by millions of Saudi oil money. He firmly believes, and the educator in me agrees, that educating women and girls and providing a balanced education (determined not by the US, but by local leaders) for men and boys is the only way to stop the war on terror, around the world.

The man behind the building of schools in Central Asia is just as interesting as his ideas.
After being injured climbing K2, he is nursed back to health in a small village. He sees the extreme poverty and makes a promise to the village leaders that he will return and build them a proper school. What he doesn't realize is that this is just the beginning and it won't be easy. The underlying story of this memoir, is don't give up. so many times it would have been easy for Greg to just say it's not worth it anymore. From the times he lived in his car trying to raise money for his first school, to the death threats he and his family received afer 9/ll, he always believed in what he was doing and that people would see the value in his work. Many of his friends believe he will win the Nobel Peace Prize someday and after reading this book, I believe they just might be right.

Rating - B