Greg Mortenson's 1993 mountaineering quest to climb Pakistan's mighty K2 nearly cost him his life. Lost, frozen, starving, and dehydrated, he stumbled into the remote mountain village of Korphe at harvest time, where he was surrounded by 50 children who immediately all took turns holding his large weathered hands. Mortenson's failed mission to leave his beloved sister's prayer beads at the peak of K2, turned out to be the beginning of a spontaneous humanitarian quest that only a giant like Mortenson could doggedly pursue with success. Without a plan, experience, or resources, he promised this little village a school in return for their kindnesses - and later realized that first he would have to build a bridge! Today, Mortenson is the director of the Central Asia Institute, and has built over 55 schools for the poorest and most remote communities in Pakistan and Afghanistan, including schools for young girls. Carrying out this mission in the heart of countryside inhabited by the Taliban and Al Quaeda posed extraordinary risks and obstacles. His decade long journey makes for a fascinating adventure story with an American worthy of hero status at it's center. Mortenson's story is beautifully relayed by journalist David Oliver Relin, who captures the landscape, it's children, and Mortenson's larger than life personality, with a sharp, passionate writing style that makes reading Three Cups of Tea a sheer pleasure. Highly recommended.

The astonishing, uplifting story of a real-life Indiana Jones and his humanitarian campaign to use education to combat terrorism in the Taliban’s backyard

Anyone who despairs of the individual’s power to change lives has to read the story of Greg Mortenson, a homeless mountaineer who, following a 1993 climb of Pakistan’s treacherous K2, was inspired by a chance encounter with impoverished mountain villagers and promised to build them a school. Over the next decade he built fifty-five schools—especially for girls—that offer a balanced education in one of the most isolated and dangerous regions on earth. As it chronicles Mortenson’s quest, which has brought him into conflict with both enraged Islamists and uncomprehending Americans, Three Cups of Tea combines adventure with a celebration of the humanitarian spirit.

Greg Mortenson’s dangerous and difficult quest . . . is not only a thrilling read, it’s proof that one ordinary person, with the right combination of character and determination, really can change the world. (Tom Brokaw)

An inspiring chronicle . . . this is one protagonist who clearly deserves to be called a hero. (People)

Mortenson’s mission is admirable, his conviction unassailable, his territory exotic. (The Washington Post)

A former mountaineer and military veteran, Greg Mortenson is the director of the nonprofit Central Asia Institute and spends several months a year establishing schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Co-author David Oliver Relin is an award-winning writer and contributor to Parade and Skiing Magazine.

Imprint: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Distributor: Penguin Group USA, Inc
Publication Date: 01-30-2007
Pages: 368
Measurements: 8.40in X 5.50in X 0.83in X 0.73lb