Three Cups of Tea

Three Cups of Tea

Author	Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin
Language	English
Publisher	Penguin Group
Publication date	2006, 2007, 2008
Publication place	US
Media type	Hardcover, Paperback, Audio CD
Pages	368
ISBN	978-0143038252

Three Cups of Tea is a New York Times bestselling book by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin published by Penguin in 2006. The book describes Mortenson's transition from a mountain-climber to a humanitarian committed to reducing poverty and educating girls in Pakistan and Afghanistan. He did this by co-founding the "Central Asia Institute," which has built over 70 schools in the most remote areas of the countries.

The book's title comes from a Balti proverb:

The first time you share tea with a Balti, you are a stranger. The second time you take tea, you are an honored guest. The third time you share a cup of tea, you become family...

Summary

In 1993, Greg Mortenson, to honor his deceased sister Christa's memory, attempted to climb K2, the world's second highest mountain, in the Karakoram range of northern Pakistan. After more than 70 days on the mountain, Greg and three other climbers had their ascent interrupted by the need to complete a 75-hour life-saving rescue of a fifth climber. The rescue took too much out of Mortenson, forcing him to accept failure and descend the mountain. After getting lost during the descent, he became weak and exhausted. Two local Balti porters took Mortenson to Korphe, a small and unremarkable village built on a shelf jutting out from a canyon. He was greeted and taken in by the chief of Korphe, Haji Ali.

To pay the remote community back for their compassion, Mortenson promised to build a school for the village. After a frustrating time trying to raise money, Mortenson convinced Jean Hoerni, a Silicon Valley pioneer, to found the Central Asia Institute, which was tasked with building schools in rural Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Co-author Relin recounts Mortenson's efforts in fascinating detail, presenting compelling portraits of the village elders, con artists, philanthropists, mujahideen, Taliban officials, ambitious school girls and upright Muslims Mortenson met along the way. As the book moves into the post-9/11 world, Mortenson and Relin argue that the United States must fight Islamic extremism in the region through collaborative efforts to alleviate poverty and improve access to education, especially for girls.

Faced with daunting challenges of raising funds, death threats from enraged mullahs, separation from his family, and a kidnapping, Mortenson eventually succeeded in building more than 55 schools in Taliban territory. Award-winning journalist Relin recounts the slow and arduous task Mortenson set for himself, a one-man mission aimed particularly at bringing education to young girls in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Two subtitles

The original hardcover book was released in 2006 with a subtitle Mortenson fought against, "One Man's Mission to Fight Terrorism One School at a Time." The edition sold poorly, only 20,000 copies. Mortenson prevailed upon the publishers to change the subtitle for the 2007 paperback edition of the book to his first choice, ""One Man's Mission to Promote Peace One School at a Time." They did and the re-titled book soon made the New York Times nonfiction paperback bestseller list. Mortenson explained his reasoning in a talk given in Fairfield, Connecticut, "If you just fight terrorism, it's based in fear," he commented. "If you promote peace, it's based in hope."

Themes

As with much travel writing, Three Cups of Tea is repeatedly concerned with overcoming cultural divides. Though gifted linguistically and with a childhood-bestowed familiarity with exotic cultures and developing nations, Mortenson is often seen struggling with cultural differences, from a foul-smelling butter tea to the commonly encountered attitude by many well-meaning Americans overseas of, "Don't tell us what we want; we'll tell you."

Perspective

Though Mortenson and Relin are given equivalent author credits, the book is written from Relin's perspective as an admiring journalist interviewing and observing Mortenson. In the book's introduction, Relin admits to liking Mortenson too much to be as objective as he probably should be.

Criticism

Though widely praised, Three Cups of Tea was subject to some specific criticism. Bookmarks Magazine wrote that, "Despite the important message, critics quibbled over the awkward prose and some melodrama. After all, a story as dramatic and satisfying as this should tell itself." AudioFile echoed these comments, "Though Relin's writing is not top-caliber, Mortenson's story comes through as exciting and inspiring."

Central Asia Institute

The Central Asia Institute is a Montana-based non-profit organization founded in 1996 "to promote and provide community-based education and literacy programs, especially for girls, in remote mountain regions of Central Asia." Dr. Jean Hoerni, a Swiss physicist who made his fortune in microchips, provided the initial funding for the Central Asia Institute and made Mortenson the director. The Institute is run by a board of directors, all of whom have worked or lived in Pakistan and/or Afghanistan. Today, the Central Asia Institute has expanded its focus to include teacher training programs, the establishment of libraries, and the provision of temporary education programs for refugees of natural or man-made disasters. The Institute also runs a "Pennies for Peace" program, where schoolchildren raise pennies to help fund building schools in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Awards

• 2006 Time Magazine Asia Book of the Year
• 2007 Kiriyama Prize Nonfiction Award

Editions

• 2006, Three Cups of Tea. 1st Edition. Viking Press. ISBN 978-0670034826. Hardcover.
• 2007, Three Cups of Tea. Tantor Media. ISBN 978-1400152513. (Audio MP3 CD).
• 2007, Three Cups of Tea. Penguin Books Ltd. ISBN 978-0143038252. Paperback

External links

• Three Cups of Tea - official site
• Greg Mortenson
• David Oliver Relin
• Central Asia Institute
• Pennies for Peace