Tea

=//Three Cups of Tea//=

Fighting With books, Not Bombs
Three Cups Of Tea Greg Mortenson & David Oliver Relin Penguin (Non-Classics) Price: $6.90-$8.50

In the high-altitude region along the border of Pakistan is a small village called Korphe. In this treacherous region near the mountain K2, men find work as porters for the annual hikers trying to climb the mountain. This brutal work is the only choice for the majority of these men mainly because they lack a formal education. The minimal education children receive is from a government teacher who is often unpaid for months at a time and travels to multiple villages, residing in them for only weeks or days before leaving to go to another village that needs attention. Areas like this fall prey to radical religious schools that dominate the region. The setting of Korphe is the one Greg Mortenson, a climber from Berkley California, found himself in after becoming lost and stranded on K2. The kindness of the villagers changed him and he promised to return and build a school for them upon the request of the village leader Haji Ali. The book Three Cups of Tea is the chronicle of Mortenson’s journey to bring them the school and, eventually, to bring education to as many young Pakistani children as possible. The struggle to gain acceptance in a world where foreigners are shunned as infidels is a hard and extremely dangerous one. Mortenson had to gain the respect of local village leaders and the Islamic leaders of the areas. In some cases this was difficult because his schools were aimed at young girls, but in the end Mortenson always came out on top. His schools have created a more balanced education for those who accept it and his work has caused the people he serves to be able to educate their children for many generations. The execution of this book however, could have been better. This book is a great example of an excellent story that could have been written better. Mortenson’s own voice seems missing at interval parts such as when he is kidnapped, only appearing to explain a more difficult concept of his work or to provide an amusing anecdote. Although the overall writing needs work, the story often makes up for it by engaging the reader. The range of time covered provides the reader a good view of Pakistan pre-9/11 and post-9/11 while also giving the reader post-9/11 Afghanistan. In creating this book, the author used Mortenson as the main first-hand account while relying heavily on accounts given to him by Mortenson’s friends and family. The result of this overwhelmingly positive account information is an account of Mortensons life that is crushingly positive. Their is absolutely no alternative view and all accounts of critics were from critics who have become some of his staunchest supporters. This flaw in the book is overlooked however, often because of the engaging story and because the reader wants to believe everything the author writes. The shortcomings of this book are many, however the great story it portrays along with the obvious dedication of the man it revolves around cover up its many flaws. The writer creates the book in a way that almost makes an aura of greatness around Mortenson that keeps the reader interested by only stating the positive. Mortenson provides an interesting second look into a world many will never enter, while giving the reader an excellent source of entertainment.