Product Description

'Here 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' - Haji Ali, Korphe Village Chief, Karakoram mountains, Pakistan. In 1993, after a terrifying and disastrous attempt to climb K2, a mountaineer called Greg Mortenson drifted, cold and dehydrated, into an impoverished Pakistan village in the Karakoram Mountains. Moved by the inhabitants' kindness, he promised to return and build a school. "Three Cups of Tea" is the story of that promise and its extraordinary outcome. Over the next decade Mortenson built not just one but fifty-five schools - especially for girls - in remote villages across the forbidding and breathtaking landscape of Pakistan and Afghanistan, just as the Taliban rose to power. His story is at once a riveting adventure and a testament to the power of the humanitarian spirit.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #120 in Books
• Published on: 2008-01-03
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 384 pages

About the Author
Greg Mortenson is the director of the Central Asia Institute, and he spends several months each year building schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan. He lives in Montana with his wife and two children. David Oliver Relin is a globe-trotting journalist who has won more than forty national awards for his writing and editing. He lives in Portland, Oregon.

Customer Reviews

This should be essential reading for all secondary school students.
I was, until my very recent retirement, the Headteacher of a Church of England primary school where 90% of pupils were Muslim and a majority of those came from the Punjab or Kashmir. I don't normally read non-fiction, but was attracted to this book because of its links to both education and the South Asian Muslim culture.

How glad I am that I chose it. What an inspirational story! I read it in two days. It gave such a true reflection of the real Islam, one which values education and most importantly values the contribution that women make to society. It reflected my experience of the Muslim culture over the many years I have worked with Muslim children and their families. I am neither a Christian, nor a Muslim, but have found that true Christians and Muslims respect each others faith.

Greg Mortenson endured great hardship, two fatwa and long separation from his family to pursue his dream of educational provision for all the children living in those isolated mountain or border regions. What a humanitarian! He really should be awarded the Nobel Peace prize.

Like Mortenson, I'm a born-again humanitarian
Due to lack of time, I normally take 15-20 days to get through a book. This one took only four though!

The book narrates the story of Greg Mortenson who decides to build a school for a village in the North of Pakistan. What inspired me most was the fact that Mortenson, an American national, himself lived 'on the edge' with no accomodation and barely enough money to buy the next meal. However, resolve and commitment to the cause allowed him to generate the necessary funds so that the promised school can be built.

What happened next was inevitable. The experiment proved to be such a success that one after the other he just kept on building schools and the money kept pouring into the accounts of the newly-found charity, Central Asia Institute.

If you have a spark for social responsibility, the book will serve as a catalyst to turn in to a fire. Got get it!

The most inspiring book i have ever read
I strongly, strongly urge you to buy this book. Not only is it a fascinating read and a really entertaining story, the message behind it is utterly inspiring and one which needs to be spread to as many people as possible. If only there were more people in the world like Greg, the man is incredible. I can honestly say that it has fundamentally changed my views on religion, politics and the best way to make the world a safer place for everyone. Everyone i know who has read it feels the same. You won't be disappointed.