Meatstick Book Review: Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson (and David Relin)

I drink, on average, two cups of tea a day and I would be lying if I didn't tell you this book initially caught my attention because of its catchy title. I'm glad the book did catch my attention because it is one of the best books I've read in a long time.

This book is the story of Greg Mortenson. Greg attempted to climb the second highest peak in the world, K2, in 1993. Upon failing to reach the summit, he got seperated from his local guide on the way back down and he stumbled into a small Pakistani town looking for help. This chain of events ended up changing his life and the lives of many impoverished people throughout rurual Pakistan and Afghanistan. Greg was amazed at the lack of education and opportunities offered to the small children of the mountain villages in northern Pakistan. He decided that he would dedicate his life to building schools (mostly for girls) for the villagers in the poorest parts of Pakistan and Afghanistan. Greg's only problem is that he barely had enough money to get back to the United States. He had no idea how to go about raising money for his new mission in life. The book talks about how Greg was able to start the Central Asia Institute with the help of some very wealthy donors that he befriended along the way.
There are some very interesting stories about Greg's encounters with the Taliban and other Muslim groups who were vehemently opposed to Greg trying to educate women. The events of Sept 11, 2001 dramatically changed Greg's mission. Although it offered him the opportunity to bring schools to parts of Afghanistan that were always too dangerous to access, he also became aware of the destruction and refugee problems associated with America's war on terror. It became apparent to Greg that one way to defeat terrorism in the Middle East is through education, not necessarily just 2,000 lb. bombs.
To me, the main point of the book can be summarized in a statement Greg gave to Parade Magazine:

"If we try to resolve terrorism with military might and nothing else, then we will be no safer than we were before 9/11. If we truly want a legacy of peace for our children, we need to understand that this is a war that will ultimately be won with books, not with bombs."

If you would like to learn more about the book check out the official website at:
www.threecupsoftea.com

I urge you to buy the book at Amazon.com because 7% of the proceeds are donated to Greg's non-profit organization, CAI.