Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin

I know I said I wasn't going to read a book I didn't own until I finished reading all the books I did own, but when the wait list for a book is two months, you read it when the library tells you it came in. That being said...

This was worth the wait. Three Cups of Tea is the heartwarming true story of Greg Mortenson's mission to build schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan to provide a secular, nonextremist education for every child. And I think that's what sets this book and this cause apart from others. Mortenson has found a way to connect an already worthwhile cause to America's fight against terrorism. He argues that many of the extremist come from extremists schools funded by extremist groups. If we really want to fight terrorism, we need to provide an alternative education that doesn't force American values or knowledge on this population.

Mortenson's cause and approach to fighting terrorism and poverty really caused me to pause and reconsider how Americans "solve" problems. The American government throws billions and billions of dollars in aid money without it really doing much long-term good. Where as Mortenson with a few thousand dollars (he estimates it costs about $20,000 to build and fund a school) can change the mindset of an entire village for a lifetime. What if we took that approach to solving problems both in the world and in our own country. Instead of offering unemployment or welfare, give grants for people to be able to continue their education and still provide for their families that way people without any usable skills can afford to get training (whether that means taking a few computer classes so they can be a secretary, going to vo-tech to become an auto mechanic, or going to a university so they can get a degree) and people who may have outdated training can take a refresher course. What if, instead of sending tons of food over to starving nations, we sent more agriculture specialists over to help local farmers find foods that will grow in their areas that provide adequate nourishment?

And I think the thing I love the most about Greg Mortenson's mission is that he allows himself to only focus on education. He doesn't go into a town, bring them all-new Western style clothes, lots of food, and modern amenities. He goes into villages where people have asked him to come, employs the local men to build a school out of local materials, employs a school teacher and then leaves (well of course he keeps tabs on the school). He avoids contaminating the villages as much as possible with his Western ideals (although one could question how Western his ideals are since he spent most of his childhood in Africa).

Bottom line: read this book if you haven't already. I've read a lot of reviews where people say they don't love the writing style, but this book isn't about the writing. It's about the message. And in my opinion, the message is one everyone needs to hear.