Sauharda Bajracharya - May 01 2023 The book ‘Three Cups of Tea’ by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin tells the story of mountaineer Greg Mortenson, who unsuccessfully attempted to climb K2, one of the world’s most dangerous mountains. He tells us how his failed attempt to climb the mountain led him to a small destitute village in Korphe, Pakistan. There, he passed out due to exhaustion and sleep deprivation. When the villagers nursed him back to health, he made a stealth promise. He returned to the village and built a school for his children.
He observed that in the small, poor village there were no proper schools and many children(especially girls) were uneducated. The land of the Taliban did not allow girls to get an education, forcing them to work at home and take care of their families. Our author on the other hand had big dreams about giving education to all. He built schools and provided a balanced, non-extremist education for both boys and girls.
Although he is a US citizen, he did not have strong ties to the US, Pakistan or Afghanistan until recently. He had to survive kidnappings and murders in Pakistan and Afghanistan, received death threats from the Americans and was labeled a traitor. While his schools were being built, the Taliban came to power, India and Pakistan went to war, and the US bombed Afghanistan after the horrific aftermath of the September 11 attacks. Nevertheless, he kept his promise and built 55 schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Authors Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin wrote this book to promote peace and education around the world. The book is almost like a work of fiction but all the messages from all the people he interviewed and interacted with makes it a whole lot livelier. Many expected the book to win the Nobel Peace Prize however it was only nominated in 2009. Nonetheless, the book stayed on top of the list as one of the best non-fiction books.
The most notable part of the book is the quote that goes: “The first time you share tea with a Balti, you are a stranger. The second time you take tea, you are an honored guest. The third time you share a cup of tea, you become family.” The quote said by Haji Ali describes the meaning of sharing tea for the Balti people. He continues: “If you want to thrive in Baltistan, you must respect our ways . . . Doctor Greg, you must take time to share three cups of tea. We may be uneducated, but we are not stupid. We have lived and survived here a long time.” The quote by Haji gives the book its title, ‘Three Cups of Tea’. Author Mortenson says that this is the most important advice he has ever been given.
There are lots of such quotes and messages from people whom Mortenson interviewed. This is what steps up the book to a new level, it provides a familiar experience to the reader. The theme of the book relates with the setting in our country, Nepal. In the rural areas of our country, many still do not let girls go to school, they are forced to work in homes and take care of the family. Meanwhile, boys have a lot more freedom and they can study at schools. However, the schools in the rural areas of our country are not facilitated and provide poor education compared to the cities in urban areas of the country. This common mindset of people in many countries around the globe should be changed, everyone should receive equal opportunities.
The book has faced a lot of controversy and criticism in the past. The book has a very dark history and many will not look back at the book ever again. The book starts as a humanitarian attempt to save the world but soon turns into an issue about money. The novel also faced a lot of criticism after an American Journalist, Nicholas D. Kristof accused Mortenson of mismanaging Central Asian Institute(CAI)’s money. According to him, only 41% of the money raised in 2009 went to building schools.
Other allegations about Mortenson were that; some of the events mentioned in the book did not actually happen, he never promised to actually build schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan. The Talibans were not in power at the time and the story about Mortenosn’s capture by the Talibans did not actually happen. The schools that CAI promised to build have actually not been built, those which have are abandoned. It is said that CAI has been taking the charity money and using it for personal gains. It is no shock as the world runs on corruption and any organization using money for personal gains is just a small factor of the money being used in corruption in the real world.
One of the former supporters of CAI, Jon Krakuer read Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and donated large sums of money to CAI for building schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan but later when he heard about the untold truth of CAI, he started investigating and wrote his conclusion in an article, ‘Three Cups of Deceit- How Greg Mortenson, Humanitarian Hero, Lost His Way.’
Despite the criticism and controversy of this book, it is nevertheless an excellent book; an inspiring and compelling book that will inspire many and is sure to inspire you too. am. The setting and plot of this book relates to the setting and plot of our country where people still have the mindset of keeping girls out of school. In many rural areas of our country, it is common for girls to work at home and boys to study at school or work on farms. By the help of this book, we can hopefully change the mindset of people and make sure that equal opportunities of education are provided to everyone.
Name: Sauharda Bajracharya
Grade: X, Machapuchre
Deerwalk Sifal School
Author: Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin
Genre: Non-fiction, Memoir
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