Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a Time

Amazing! (2010-03-10) : 5/5
Inspiring and beautifully written ....

I am blown away by the tenacity, fearlessness, and selflessness exhibited by Mortenson (and everyone who helps him) as he creates opportunities for the poor and neglected to get a chance at a better life through eduction ....

Eye-opening crash course in history (and heartbreaking commentary) on past and present U.S. strategies in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and the Middle East.

I am adding my vote to the group - BUY THIS BOOK!!!
Education = Peace (2010-03-10) : 5/5
I resisted reading this book for some time because "everyone was reading it," and finally brought it out for a plane trip to Montana, strangely enough.

I was blown away. Sure, it's written in cooperation with a guy who writes the "Sunday magazine" type stuff. No, it's not Hemmingway (who had his own issues, by the way) or Hunter S. Thompson.

But the story got me in the gut. We all know that babies are not born to hate or fear. They are TAUGHT to hate and fear. The wars in Afghanistan and Pakistan will continue because they pay well. Human damage aside, who's getting rich? Not the farmers and villagers who are being bombed. It's those people, the "collateral damage" of the wars, that Greg Mortenson is trying to help. And he's doing a spectacular job of it. He is living proof that one person can do something to impact society. You can do something locally or globally. Your choice. But do something.

And that's the point of this book. It costs, according to the blurbs in the back, ONE dollar to educate a girl. And ONE PENNY (that useless coin we're thinking of getting rid of?) to buy a pencil.

"Average Americans" wonder what they can do to help make the world a better place. Funding education for those who are often forgotten and not "newsworthy" is the best place to put your money and time. Do THIS for your own grandchildren - so that THEY don't have to go to war.
great (2010-03-10) : 5/5
: ) very nice children's book , but I think it should have a simpler plot R.I.P. Christa
A mind opener! (2010-03-09) : 5/5
This book should be required reading in all high schools-and by all Americans! What a mind opener!
I'm glad I bought this book. (2010-03-09) : 5/5
When considering this book (based on its mention in a magazine article), I read a review that was somewhat negative and implied that the book was poorly written. I almost did not buy the book. I have only just begun to read it and can already tell that it will be hard to put down. The descriptions of the foreign lands (Tanzania and Pakistan so far) are vivid, with just enough everyday detail so the reader feels present with the author. It is hard to imagine living in a culture so different from what is familiar. Mortenson's culture shock occurred when he came to school in Minnesota at age 14. This book reads quickly even though it is generously sprinkled with names and locations that are hard to pronounce. It appears to be an inspirational book, though perhaps not a motivational one. At least, so far, I am not signing on to work in one of these exotic places.