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)

Very Interesting

In the beginning I was not sure where it all was going, but I hung in there and was rewarded. It was very informative. I am thankful that the story of Greg and his help in Pakistan has been written up to share with the world so nicely.

Critical insider perspective in Pakistan

Thank you, for all you’ve done! This book captures my heart as a humanitarian! After serving in country after country I fight to gain even a little ground towards progress! I’m reading this book to study ways people have been successful before me! I love that it wasn’t a deterrent that you met another mountain climber turned school principal, assuming they’d take care of the job. The job is for all of us! Thank you!

education vs. bullets

Terrific story about one man's mission to help bring education to some of the most remote and challenged parts of planet earth. This story is an inspiration to all who want to help repair the world.

Inspirational and Frustrating

Inspirational and frustrating. Greg has been out building school for girls in Pakistan and Afghanistan since 1993 and this is his story.

It is inspirational and surprising, but at times his frustration is palpable. He is a doer and as always goes with those that do, there is a large amount of criticism leveled against him. (Nothing bothers me more than the non-doer armchair quarterbacks but it's part of the culture we live in.)

This book is a great introduction to the outlying tribal cultures in Pakistan and Afghanistan and there is an excellent explanation and examples of Pashtunwali / Lokhay Warkawa as also described in Lone Survivor by Marcus Luttrell.

Having trekked in Nepal on my way to Everest Base Camp this really brought back memories.

Don't listen to "60 minutes"

This story and what Greg Mortenson is doing is amazing. Read it and make up your own mind.

Three More Cups, and then three more, and then

This is a must read if you want to know about the work Mortenson has done in Pakistan, and to understand the culture and people there. I found it fascinating, and the work was also well read by Patrick Lawlor, and well written, as well. However, listening to every detail of Mortenson's mission for 13 hours was really grueling. It might have been possible to edit slightly. Or maybe not? I loved getting to know Mortenson through the book; I have become a huge fan, even though I thought I wouldn't like it due to all the media hype it got originally. So terribly sad to think what is happening in Pakistan now. My heart goes out to the people there, who are so fierce, vital, and generous of heart. Only wish we had access to the photos in the book itself, and the spelling of the names, etc. Audio books really lose the power of the written word that way.

How to win a people, and war may not be necessary

The story of what and how Greg Mortenson learned to better understand and be respected by Afgan citizens and tribal leaders is very interesting and enlightening. It illustrates a safer, more humanitarian and productive approach to help spread the knowledge and values that we value, without the need to belittle or even kill those who have not had the opportunities that we almost take for granted.

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.

Man oh Man

One of the best books I've listened to. Straight up.

Not sure about some of the comments referencing slowness or bad narration. I was sucked into it right away and thought the narration was fine. Listen to the sample and see what you think.

The story itself is well-written, and as others have written, it is truly a remarkable reality that the subject of the story is creating. But the best part of the book for me is that it shows HOW Greg ended up doing what he is doing, and HOW he has accomplished his goal(s). For any entrepreneur, socially conscience person, anyone who wants to make the world (or even his/ her neighborhood) a better place, this book shows you how to do it.

If I had read a book like this in high school rather than Shakespeare, I would have learned to love to read much earlier in life and I would have thought about what I could do to make the world a better place a long time before I actually did.

For the entrepreneur, this book is much more useful than any "business book."

Terrific story

This is a heart warming story. The narration is clear and not overly dramatic. The writing of the story is not exactly poetry. It did seem strange that Mortenson is the first author but the book is written in the third person. In spite of some awkward writing I still feel that this is a story well worth listening to.