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

In 1993, a lost and drifting Greg Mortenson headed to the mountains of Pakistan to do the only thing that he knew gave him any purpose in life: climb one of the world's most towering mountains, K2. After a failed attempt, Greg found himself disappointed, exhausted, and disoriented in the norhtern Pakistan countryside. Helpless and wandering, he wound up in a small Pakistani tribal village. Although many of the villagers had never seen an American before (and a pale skinned, blonde headed one at that), they welcomed him with open arms and nursed him back to health. With wellness came clarity and Greg knew that his life had forever been changed by the kindness and humbleness of the people of Korphe. He saw the simple lives that they lead but the desperation that they had for more. They weren't greedy by any means; they simply wanted a proper school for their children. They yearned for education and a way to protect their sons and daughters from being brainwashed by the extremist Muslim instituitions that seemed like the only form of education available. While they too were devout Muslims, the villagers of Korphe knew there was a better way to live out their faith. Mortenson knew it too and also saw education as the answer. Before he left the village of Korphe, he promised the people that he would return someday to build them a school...Mortenson kept his promise and the Korphe School was completed in 1996. That was not the end, however; Greg's promise became a vision and his vision became a campaign to improve the lives of Pakistani and Afghani children forever.

A real-life adventure of compassion, this book will touch the heart of anyone who reads it. No matter what your political, religious, cultural, etc. beliefs are, this book will have you sharing a cup of tea with your neighbor and believing that if we just give each other a chance and work together, peace can happen in even the most desolate parts of the world.

-Carrie L. Boyd, intern and book lover

You can find this book on Homewood's shelves
in the Adult Non-Fiction department:
371.822 Mor
OR
Request it online from JCLC

Also, check out the reading guide,
created by Mortenson himself