Here's a book that'll slake your thirst for a good read
Sunday, February 24, 2008 12:12 AM PST
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E-mail this articleChris Skaugset
I had heard a lot about “Three Cups of Tea” long before
I ever picked up the book — and all of it was good.
We’ve had copies of it here at the library since the author donated a copy through Amazon.com late in 2006. It had always been on my to-read list but I just hadn’t gotten around to it.
Then I learned that it had been chosen as the first title
for One Book — Cowlitz Reads! I still procrastinated until about three weeks ago, when I finally bought my own copy and sat down to read it. I already knew the basic story line from reviews, and I had read about Greg Mortenson, the Central Asia Institute and its mission to build schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Mortenson’s story as told by David
Oliver Relin surpassed all of my expectations. Even though I knew how the story ended (continues, really), it was still a
fascinating, heart-warming and inspirational tale of one man and his attempt to fulfill a promise that became so much more.
After nearly dying in an attempt to reach the summit of K2, the world’s second-tallest mountain, Mortenson, dazed from the ordeal, became separated from the others and was rescued
by local villagers.
Living among them, he discovers that they have no school for their children and are gathering outside in a makeshift attempt at education. He recognizes that the girls of Pakistan are especially hurt
by the lack of educational
opportunity in this mostly
Muslim nation.
Overcome by the kindness shown to him by villagers, Mortenson promises to repay their generosity and come back and build them a school. (The book’s title reflects a cultural truism: The first cup of tea is shared with a stranger. With the second cup you become a friend and with the third you are family.)
It captures the trajectory
of Mortenson’s commitment.
What began as a quest to build a school developed into something more, not only for the people of this impoverished village and the entire region but for Mortenson as well. The book is also his story, encompassing those who helped him create the Central Asia Institute and make his promise a reality.
Filled with the adventures,
and sometimes misadventures, in a foreign place where Americans are more often hated than loved, surrounded by a cast of characters that could populate the most inventive of novels, Mortenson’s story takes readers on the extraordinary adventure of his quest for a school and ultimately peace.
His project, which grew to include more than 50 schools during 10 years, is one of the greatest humanitarian efforts undertaken in recent times. Perhaps it should be seen as an example of one way that our country can once again reclaim its place as a world leader not through war but by funding simple projects that improve life for those around the world who are most in need.
It’s not unlike Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus’ use of microcredit to bring people out of poverty, one more relatively simple way to make the world a
better place.
Making this change is not unlike climbing the always dangerous K2, where “Three Cups of Tea” began. The possibilities are endless and with the potential for peace makes it seem plausible to take the first step, and then the next, on that difficult, but endlessly rewarding, climb.
Chris Skaugset, MLS, is the director of the Longview Public Library. Reach him at chris.skaugset@ci.longview.wa.us
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