March Not Fiction Book Discussion

For our March Not Fiction Book Discussion, we will be discussing the New York Times bestseller Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a Time by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin, the story of how Mortenson became a humanitarian who has helped impoverished villages in remote and war-torn areas of Central Asia build over fifty schools for girls. The village of Korphe in the remote Karakoram mountains of Pakistan generously helped Mortenson regain his health after his failed attempt to summit the world's second highest peak,K2, in 1993, so Mortenson promised to build the village a school. The story of how he kept that promise and its far-reaching consequences provides drama, romance, humor, cultural insight, and hope that one person can make a difference. As we discuss Relin's role as narrator of Mortenson's life and work, Mortenson's powerful and sometimes difficult personality, the many challenges of humanitarian work, and the political implications of this book as America continues its military actions in Afghanistan and Iraq, perhaps we will also come to understand why Three Cups of Tea has become a bestseller, a book for our times. We hope you will join our discussion, either Tuesday, March 4, at 7:00 p.m. in Meeting Room A of Charleston County Public Library's Main Library or here on the blog.