Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace ... One School at a… (2006)

Wow, this book was one that I would probably not have bought but someone left it in my break room and I picked it up. What this man did and is doing is amazing. This book makes you realize how important education is in fighting the terrorism.

No, the writing was not spectacular but the message was. I want to help him. As a military brat that grew up in the Philippines, I could relate to some of his stories about the poor villages and learning the cultures. I remember going places where no American had gone in ages. I remember my blond hair being pet by the locals. I remember the generosity of people that had so much less than we did. It seems that people are the same everywhere.

In this book, the people in Pakistan and later in Afghanistan, welcomed this man who wanted to help their children and overall their communities not just now but for generations to come. He sat amongst various people, Taliban, Shiites, etc. and discussed his plans. We learned how he and his organization are helping to rebuild Afghanistan one school at a time. We learn that for the most part, they do not hate Americans like we are told all the time. We learn that people just want to live and take care of their families in any way they can.

I recommend this book to anyone that cares about humanity. It is time to look past labels and take care of each other. ( )

Cannot get used to the writing style ( )

Wonderful story of one man's pursuit of education for girls in some of the more remote villages on earth. Inspiring. ( )

" Last month, an investigation from 60 Minutes and writer Jon Krakauer found that Three Cups of Teaauthor Greg Mortenson, the raffish philanthropist and founder of 170 schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan, had fabricated parts of his amazing backstory. Worse, 60 Minutes visited 30 of the schools supposedly built by his Central Asia Institute and found half empty or unsupported by the nonprofit. More stories of “ ghost schools” emerged after the program aired.

The Three Cups of Tea scandal has led to soul-searching and anger among charitable givers and recipients. Nonprofits are scrambling to better account for their dollars. Aid workers in the region are grumbling about the crass imperialist narrative that helped popularize CAI, with a heroic First World dude swooping in to rescue Third World kids.

But the most important lesson of the scandal, and one that hasn’t gotten any attention, is something entirely different. It is a lesson that applies not just to Mortenson’s organization but also to charities that are much-better run: Stop building schools. Or rather, it is a mistake to devote much money or attention to constructing physical school buildings. Throwing up structures is simple. Educating children is a much more complex, expensive, and necessary goal." Anne Lowrey

Before I get started, I just want to say that no review I could ever write ever would ever portray how much this book sucked for me. To me, Three Cups of Tea is the perfect embodiment and representation of the most tragically horrible book I've ever read.
In fact, for you today, I'm going to make a list of the 10 most tragic things in Three Cups of Tea.