Book Review

I actually finished this book awhile ago, but I just went to book club last night and discussed it, so I figured I'd post on it anyway. The book is Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin. It's nonfiction (something I don't always enjoy) and is basically the story of Greg Mortenson's life. He tried to climb K2, the second tallest mountain in the world and located in northern Pakistan, but failed to summit. On his way down, he got lost and ended up in this little village called Korphe. The people were poor, but they gave him food and a place to sleep while he recovered from his ordeal. He promised them he would build them a school, since they didn't have one. Through much hardship and other things, he fulfilled that promise and has continued to build schools throughout northern Pakistan and Afganistan. He mostly builds them for the girls, although both boys and girls go to them. He says if you even give a girl a fifth grade education, it can change the life of the village. The males will leave, but the girls stay. Sanitation improves, infant mortality decreases, and they become leaders in their community. Mortenson is still alive and still building schools. His story is actually quite amazing.

It was quite an enlightening book. I learned a lot about Pakistan, Muslims, and so much else. To see what's going on over there aside from what we hear in the media was really nice. You get a good picture of why people act the way they do; a better picture of the culture. I commend Mortenson for his work and hope he can continue to do what he does. The book is really well written, and a lot of the proceeds go to Mortenson's foundation, the Central Asia Institute. It's a really good book, and one I would recommend to everyone.