Three cups of tea
one man's mission to promote peace … one school at a time
by Greg Mortenson, David Oliver Relin, Sarah Thomson, Natxo Morera de la Vall Antón · first published 2006
42% recommend42% neutral17% critical
Why HN recommends it
Narrative account of building schools in remote Pakistan and Afghanistan; readers praise its moving story and its look at community-driven development, and it suits anyone curious about education aid or the region.
Common criticism: Critics say it is poorly written and that parts of its account were falsified or disputed.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
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
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I read a lot. But the books that moved me the most were about Greg Mortenson's adventures building schools in Paksistan and Afghanistan: Three Cups of Tea (http://www.threecupsoftea.com/) Stones Into Schools (http://www.stonesintoschools.com/)
on “Ask HN: What are your favorite books of 2010?” ↗A nice read about this is "Three cups of tea". There's a passage in there that goes something like "Thank you, Dr. Greg, for offering to help us build a school. We talked about it and before we build the school, we decided we need to build a bridge."…
on “Please stop building schools in Iraq and Afghanistan” ↗…while since I read the book, but as I recall, in that particular village, they had at least one teacher, but the children had to study outside until the school building was completed. (I also recommend "Three Cups of Tea". It's not as well written as, say, Tracy Kidder's "Mountains Beyond Mountains", but it doesn't matter, the story pretty much tells itself.)
on “Please stop building schools in Iraq and Afghanistan” ↗…Paul Farmer's work in Haiti, and later in other parts of the world. If you are interested in public health it is a great read, and may provide a fresh angle on recent Haiti <-> world politics. "Three Cups of Tea" (Oliver, I think) Greg Mortensen starts building schools in Pakistan / Afghanistan. Adventure ensues. There's some definite political bias here but it's worth a read. Fun summer read: "World War Z".…
on “Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?” ↗"Three Cups of Tea" is a terrific book. I highly recommend it.
on “It Takes a School, Not Missiles” ↗…under no legal obligation to do this, and there are any number of ways to make administrative costs look like charitable spending. A typical -- typical -- case history is that of Greg Mortenson, of "Three Cups of Tea" fame, who made off with a million dollars of foundation money for his personal expenses, all justified of course as legitimate expenditures related to the foundation. The only reason this story went…
on “Click here, save a life, for real” ↗…administrative costs look like charitable spending. Bona fide administrative costs are part of the money that goes to the charity's goals. > A typical -- typical -- case history is that of Greg Mortenson, of "Three Cups of Tea" fame, who made off with a million dollars of foundation money for his personal expenses, all justified of course as legitimate expenditures related to the foundation Repeating and italicizing the claim…
on “Click here, save a life, for real” ↗…lost. Second example -- Greg Mortenson: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/19/greg-mortenson-sued... Quote: "Regardless of whether claims are true that author Greg Mortenson fabricated portions of "Three Cups of Tea," neither he nor his publisher can be held liable because the First Amendment protects exaggerations or lies in memoirs, his publisher's attorney said Wednesday. Penguin Group (USA) attorney Jonathan…
on “Selling $2,000+ Worth Of My Unfinished Book” ↗It's interesting to note that Jon Krakauer also wrote Three Cups of Deceit, when Three Cups of Tea was required summer reading for me in high school. Funny how opinions about people change--though in this case it's sad instead of angering.
on “How Chris McCandless Died” ↗Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin similarly: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Cups_of_Tea#Controversy> Specific allegations and refutations were raised by 60 Minutes and The Daily Beast:…
on “Oliver Sacks put himself into his case studies – what was the cost?” ↗…wasn't lies, the problem was the location of the lies. You can lie in a book, but you cannot lie in a sales pitch. Kevin Trudeau either didn't know this or didn't care. Greg Mortenson wrote a book called "Three Cups of Tea," and raised millions for his charitable activities. Investigators then discovered that his book is a pack of lies, but because it's a book, he couldn't be sued (Mortenson never told the lies outside…
on “Selling $2,000+ Worth Of My Unfinished Book” ↗Most Americans think we already spend too much on foreign aid. So, politically what you are proposing isn't going to work. Perhaps a privately funded solution. The "Three Cups of Tea" author was doing some of this but it turned out he wasn't completely honest. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Cups_of_Tea
on “I worked on the US drone program. The public should know what really goes on” ↗Wasn't it the founder that got the Three Cups of Tea guy to build schools for Muslims in Baltistan precisely because he thought the customers didn't give a shit?
on “Patagonia joins growing list of companies boycotting Facebook ads” ↗Then there's the category "so bad it's good". "Three Cups of Tea" is The Room for books. It is a trifecta of sorts: poorly written, nonfiction, and partially falsified and debunked.
on “How I read books: a guide on how to learn” ↗