Greg Mortenson is one of those rare
individuals willing to make the plight of others his life’s
focus. Fifteen years ago, after a failed attempt to climb K2,
the people of a Pakistan village in the Karakoram Mountains
helped him recover. When he found out the village had no school,
he promised to return and build a school in exchange for their
kindness.
Though the villagers said many westerners had made promises
before, Mortenson followed through - first by himself and then
with the help of others. He built not only one school. He built
55 schools, many especially for girls, throughout the region.
"Three Cups of Tea" is the story of Mortenson’s
struggle to meet his promise and includes illuminating glimpses
into a very different culture. The title comes from a saying
from Haji Ali, the village chief of Korphe, the first village
Mortenson encountered.
"Here (in Pakistan and Afghanistan), we drink three cups
of tea to do business; the first you are a stranger, the second
you become a friend, and the third, you join our family, and for
our family we are prepared to do anything - even die," said
Ali.
While it seemed to Mortenson that the process of building
that first school took too long, the villagers had different
expectations of the way things would come together. They
exhibited an extraordinary patience and were willing to wait.
Finally, Mortenson was able to keep his promise. Throughout it
all, he was returning to the United States to earn money,
solicit donations and tell the story of these people who lived
in the isolated mountain region.
After Sept. 11, Mortenson found himself an unlikely
ambassador for both cultures and was attacked on both sides. He
even survived a kidnapping in the mountains. Through it all,
however, Mortenson kept focused on his goal, even after he
married and had children of his own.
While the story is compelling, the book itself sometimes gets
bogged down in the details and a few too many adjectives. The
real-life characters are sometimes introduced and dismissed so
quickly, the reader doesn’t get a real sense of who they are.
As for Mortenson, his dedication comes through but his passion
isn’t always evident.
However, the mission Mortenson has accomplished is impressive
and inspiring. In the acknowledgements, he writes, "It is
my vision that we all will dedicate the next decade to achieve
universal literacy and education for all children, especially
for girls. More than 145 million of the world’s children are
deprived of education due to poverty, exploitation, slavery,
gender discrimination, religious extremism and corrupt
governments."
More information about Mortenson and the book can be found at
www.threecupsoftea.com.
