31 March 2009

three cups of tea - greg mortenson and david oliver relin

greg mortenson and david oliver relin || three cups of tea || 4.5/5.0

i know i'm pretty late to this party, but it was worth the wait! three cups of tea is a current affairs/biography, detailing the efforts of greg mortenson in building schools in central asia. most of his work described in the book is in pakistan, though the book ends with an introduction to his recent (2004) efforts in afghanistan.

really well written, the book is a page-turner, and sheds a very human light on a region of the world largely portrayed as a wild and dangerous unknown. individuals, geography, and cultures are painted beautifully, and i felt i was receiving a lesson from an insider.

the biography side of the work is a testament to the power of incredible people. mortenson's drive is truly remarkable, and reminds me of my public health hero paul farmer.

this is a definite read for anyone. if you haven't, i implore you to check it out. as an added incentive, i'd be happy to give you my copy of the audio version - a great recording of a great book.

2 comments:

Piztachio said...

hmm, every time i saw someone with this i always rolled my eyes, thinking it was just another poorly written, over-hyped, exotic-fiction type (e.g., the kite runner). but your rundown makes it sound more appealing. a potential future read, thanks.

p.s. don't forget about maximum city.

eped said...

i had similar sentiments after working in a bookstore, because the book is pretty popular. but i was very pleasantly surprised. definitely not kite runner.

also, haven't forgotten maximum city, just can't find it :(