Way back in September, Jill
very generously offered to send a copy of the book
3 Cups of Tea; One Man's Mission to Promote Peace... One School at a Time to the first ten Kivafriends to ask for one. If I read the entire book, all Jill wanted in return was for me to share my impressions of
Three Cups of Tea here in our Kivafriends "home". Here are those impressions.
Three Cups of Tea is, at its heart, a tale of inspiration, transformation, and perseverance. Its pages will tell you the true story of Greg Mortenson, a strapping force of nature, world-class athlete and professional healer, who was driven to attempt to conquer the highest points on the planet with will power, cunning, and sheer physical force.
As it turns out, Mortenson was transformed and tested to the limits of his abilities as a human being in quite a different way by a bolt of inspiration he never saw coming.
Just after the moment of his greatest failure as a climber, a near-fatal attempt to gain the summit of K2 -- the second highest mountain on earth, which straddles the desolate border of northeast Pakistan and China -- Mortenson is embraced and nursed back to health by the people of the Pakistani village of Korphe. These people had "nothing" by Western standards, nothing of material value. All they had was their love of life, each other, and of all mankind.
At the end of his recuperation, when Mortenson learns that the children of Korphe attend school without a building, scratching their lessons into the hardscrabble surface of the earth -- weather permitting -- he is inspired by the kindness of the people of Korphe to make a promise that will change his life's direction forever.
He will go back home, raise the necessary funds, return to Korphe, and build a school for the children.
That decision and everything that flows from it form the basis of
Three Cups of Tea. But this book is much more than the incredible story of how Mortenson moved from that epiphany in Korphe to bring this first promise, and many others, into reality.
Three Cups of Tea is a love story.
Three Cups of Tea is a page-turning thriller. Just putting one foot in front of the other, let alone building schools, in the extreme high altitude environments where much of this story takes place qualifies as an adventure.
Three Cups of Tea is a clear window into the everyday lives of some Pakistanis and Afghanis, unencumbered by external politics and "foreign policy".
Three Cups of Tea is a story of how inspiration begets inspiration, how one man's dream and quest can be embraced and helped on by others, to everyone's benefit.
Three Cups of Tea clearly states that it's important to not only listen to our hearts, but to act on what we hear.
Above all,
Three Cups of Tea is a beautiful story, beautifully told. It's an excellent read.
If you're looking to be inspired during your quiet moments this holiday season, read
Three Cups of Tea. You'll be glad you did.
(Thanks, Jill.)
Fred
