Three Cups of Tea

Greg Mortenson was a twenty-something man living the stereotypical lifestyle of searching for, but having not yet found, purpose in life. After receiving a nursing degree from the University of South Dakota, he became an addict of climbing. Not long after acquiring a taste for this new adventure hobby, his ambitions soared and he attempted to climb K2, the second tallest and most feared mountain in the world, situated in Northern Pakistan. It was there, after failing to reach the summit, that a purpose began developing which involved the little-known Baltisan people of Korphe, Pakistan.

Nearly at the point of death, the Korphe people treated and nursed the first American they had ever met back to health. The over-sized, soft and lovable Mortenson quickly became a good friend. Before leaving, the Pakistani people were promised their first school by the inspired American. It is here that this young, now ex-climber, developed his sense of purpose in life: building elementary schools for young children, and in particular, young Muslim girls.

Soon Mortenson is building one-to-three classroom schools throughout Pakistan, wooing and befriending Pakistani's as he goes along and casting vision for Americans on what it looks like to curb terrorism through education, not war. This comes as the U.S. is on the verge of going to war against terror.

From a worldy, secular perspective, this is a refreshing piece of literature, depicting one of the greatest humanitarian efforts of our time. It is an eye-opening picture of the people of the Middle East that the American government and media are simply not depicting in their broadcasts of the war torn area. Not only that, but the very reason for Mortenson's successes were due to the kindness and trust of many accommodating Pakistan and Afghan men and women.

From a Christian perspective, it was sad to see a man who grew up with Christian parents find no purpose in Jesus. Mortenson completely abandoned his faith in Christ for a relativistic take on being good to all, which is fine and well, but was not grounded in an absolute truth.

The greatest strength of "Three Cups of Tea" is that the feared people of the Middle East are seen as just that, people. In fact, very few have anything to do with radical Islam. People from the area are rather sad to see hate rise between their country and America. In a revolutionary take on relations between warring countries, you can hardly come away without having a changed perspective on world politics. Moreover, you might just find yourself advocating education over war in the combat against terrorism.

Recommendation:

I would recommend this book to anyone with a misguided, misinformed or incomplete view of the Middle East, Muslims, or the War on Terror. It is an enjoyable and engaging read, and though some parts seem slow and trivial, overall it will open your eyes to relevant world events and talking points.

"Humanitarian" (4 of 5 STARS)