Greg Mortenson

True story about a man (Mortenson) who failed in his attempts to climb K2, but after being nursed back to health by a poor, Pakistani village, promised to build them a school. He came back to the U.S., completely new to trying to raise money, but came up with the $12K needed . . . and has since built lots of schools–as well as community centers, and other forms of aid, not only in Pakistan, but also in Afghanistan. He “fights terror with books,” as the tagline goes. Remarkable story not least because it’s all true. The writing style is a little breathless, thrilling, golly-shucks-gee-whiz, but it makes a good story because it IS a good story, and eminently readable. Oh, and the three cups of the title? From an old saying–when you serve a guest tea the first time, he’s a stranger; the second time, he’s a friend; the third time, he’s family. http://chappysmom.typepad.com/bookworm/2006/10/index.html© 2006 Debra Boyken – ChappysMom.com