Three Cups of Tea

One Man's Mission to Fight Terrorism and Build Nations

By: Greg Mortenson, David Oliver Relin

Narrated by: Patrick Lawlor

Length: 13 hrs and 28 mins

Publisher's summary

In 1993 Greg Mortenson was the exhausted survivor of a failed attempt to ascend K2, an American climbing bum wandering emaciated and lost through Pakistan's Karakoram Himalaya. After he was taken in and nursed back to health by the people of an impoverished Pakistani village, Mortenson promised to return one day and build them a school. From that rash, earnest promise grew one of the most incredible humanitarian campaigns of our time: Greg Mortenson's one-man mission to counteract extremism by building schools, especially for girls, throughout the breeding ground of the Taliban.

Award-winning journalist David Oliver Relin has collaborated on this spellbinding account of Mortenson's incredible accomplishments in a region where Americans are often feared and hated. In pursuit of his goal, Mortenson has survived kidnapping, fatwas issued by enraged mullahs, repeated death threats, and wrenching separations from his wife and children. But his success speaks for itself. At last count, his Central Asia Institute had built 55 schools. Three Cups of Tea is at once an unforgettable adventure and the inspiring true story of how one man really is changing the world, one school at a time.

©2006 Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin (P)2006 Tantor Media Inc

Critic reviews

"Three Cups of Tea is one of the most remarkable adventure stories of our time....Not only a thrilling read, it's proof that one ordinary person, with the right combination of character and determination, really can change the world." (Tom Brokaw)

What a wonderful story!

The narrator did a wonderful job tackling all the names and language of northern Pakistan, shifting vocally from American Greg Mortenson to the Pakistani men and women that make this book such a lovely read. I enjoyed it from cover to cover. Working for peace with books, not bombs…. Not a bad idea!

Must read

I first read a hard copy of this book a couple of months ago. I loved it!! I decided I had to buy it in audio so I could share it with my pre teen son. It would have been too challenging for him to read the book on his own. We have listened to the book in the car and at home.
My son loved this story. It has it all. An adventure, a misunderstood culture, and humanitarian efforts all rolled up into a true story for our times. What a great teaching tool for tolerance and compassion. I am so glad my son and I could share this story together and broaden our perspective on a topic that we need to understand in today's world. It's a total must read.

An inspriational story

I received a copy of the actual book and could not get through it. Listening to it took me to a whole new level. I really enjoyed it and found it much easier to listen to than to read.

Good story

Good story, but not up to the hype.

Make up your own mind...

Whether Greg Mortenson made up parts of this story or not, it is still a great read. My recommendation - listen to this first, then listen to Three Cups of Deceit by Jon Krakauer. (Three Cups of Deceit reports Krakauer's "findings" that Mortenson fabricated parts of his book and misused money donated to his cause.) You will have both sides of the story, and you can make up your own mind of what you'd like to believe.

Great message, but slow read

I feel bad giving this book 3 stars because the message is fantastic and everyone should read it. I thought the story dragged out a bit, and I found myself loosing interest about halfway though. I did manage to finish the story but I was a bit of a struggle.

An inspiring story!

Greg Mortensen is such an inspiration! One person CAN make a difference. Too bad our government didn't use Greg's philosophies on education in these poor nations to gain allies against Islamic extremist. I just heard that the hotel Greg often used was bombed this week and I felt as if I had personally suffered with the Pakistani people..

Poor Audio

Great story but terrible narrator or audio production. My previous read was Thirteen Moons w/Will Patton and music; this book is tough to listen to.

Eye Opening & Inspiring

Three Cups of Tea is one of those books that you remember for life. I hadn't even realized I didn't know the things Greg Mortinson's journey taught me. The Muslim world has been painted with only one brush since the tragedy of 9/11. In this book we see a whole new perspective on not only that event, but on the entire Muslim community - thier needs, thier beliefs, and their view of the US. This book should be mandatory reading for all US high school students, if not every American. Inspirational and eye opening is an understatement.

fantastically inspiring!

This book was everything I hoped for and more. A simply amazing story of how one man is changing the world.