Three Cups of Tea

A group of friends from church started a Book Club, and this month is Stones and Schools by Greg Mortenson.  It's the sequel to Three Cups of Tea, so I decided I wanted to read the first book to get the background before reading the actual book for the month.
This book gives a fascinating look into the world of Pakistan and Afghanistan in the years leading up to 9/11 and the aftermath in these war-torn countries.  These countries are so little understood that is was so fascinating to get a look into this part of the world from someone who knows it intimately, and cares more about the people than politics.  I was immediately drawn in by Greg Mortenson's description of these remote villages and their dire poverty.  I don't think I pictured Pakistan quite so destitute.  It is his story of trying to build a school for a remote village that took him in when he got lost and failed to complete his hike of K2.

This book gives you a sense of how much difference one person can make in the world without painting him as a saint or untouchable as a human being.  They were very open about some of his flaws and struggles, but that's what made the book more believable.  I know that there is some controversy about whether everything in the book is true, but for the most part I think the complaints are irrelevant, because it doesn't change what Greg was trying to accomplish and the insider look at these countries and how they operate.     
I really enjoyed this book and feel like I learned a lot.  It has given me a lot to think about in terms of what I thought of these countries and our involvement as a nation over there.  Now my only problem is that I've got to get the sequel read by Tuesday....