Three Cups of Tea

One Man's Mission to Fight Terrorism and Build Nations

By: Greg Mortenson, David Oliver Relin

Narrated by: Patrick Lawlor

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)

Amazing

I love this book! The things Greg Mortensen accomplished is amazing. I can't believe he never gave up on his goal - all because of his promise to the man and village that saved his life.

Extremely interesting

I really enjoyed Three Cups of Tea. The story of Greg Mortenson's life building schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan was inspiring and real. I usually feel that stories of people doing great things like this are too romanticized and don't tell the whole story, but this was not the case in this book. The story keeps you listening, it never fades into overly intricate detail. The other people in the story are humanized and not just flat extras. I would highly recommend this book.

better to read yourself

While I admire Greg Mortenson's many accomplishments, I simply cannot listen to this narrator again. His voice is so flat, and his many attempts at "accents" is so bad, that I know I would have enjoyed the book much more had I simply read it myself. So, listener beware! You may fall asleep!

Recommended by a friend . . .

I would never have chosen this book, but after listening to it I was ready for it to continue . . . I see now that Greg Mortenson's next is due out Dec 1st. I'll be in line for that one. Thanks to my friends rave review I listened and found it educational and facinating and very timely.

A 'can't-turn-it-off' story

This story is proof that things happen for a reason. A wrong turn at the end of a failed attempt to climb a mountain changed Greg Mortenson's life and the lives of thousands of children and their families in Pakistan and Afghanistan. The events are gripping. The characters come alive as you listen to Mr. Mortenson's determination to keep promises to people that so many others have forgotten or dismissed.

By the end of the book, you will ask yourself what contribution you can make to improve the lives of others.