Any book in which the author is a main subject either spells disaster or excels with its inspirational content. Mortenson’s memoir, both emotionally satisfying and deeply engrossing, gives a glimpse into the life in the Afghan mountains through the eyes of an American.
Three Cups of Tea is the amazing story of how Mortenson’s failed attempt at climbing K2, located on the China- Pakistan border turned into mission for building schools in one of the most war torn places on Earth. The premise is fairly simple. Upon his descent from K2, Mortenson took a wrong turn, missed his bridge and landed up in Korphe. Here the children he met didn’t have any schools to go to. They sat in groups under the cold sky and used sticks to write in the sand. From that point on he made it his mission to bring schools into the remote mountain villages of Afghanistan.
While a strong element of imperialism is easy to presuppose when it come to stories that deal with the idea of an American whose fight against terror is to promote education in war torn areas, this is a book which reflects genuine humanitarian motivation and deep appreciation for people. Fans of adventure novels and those who love to read more on ethnic cultures will find enough material to keep them engrossed throughout the book. While it would not have been an easy task for any writer to chronicle the efforts of one man in his attempt to educate a nation, the hero worship that follows page after page could have been a little toned down. And although the writer does address the time/place continuum problem in the intro, there are still many snaps back and forth in time which interrupt what would otherwise have been excellent storytelling.
Anyone who has ever feared their own small voice was too small a drop in the bucket, must read this book. A phenomenal read, this book is inspiring down to the very last word.
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