Book Review 2009 - 1

A lot of bloggers I keep up with post reviews of books they've read, and I decided that I wanted to start doing my own reviews. I was a voracious reader growing up and reading is still one of my favorite hobbies. I mainly want to do these reviews to have my own record of books I've read and my thoughts on them at the time.

The first book I completed in 2009 was "Three Cups of Tea" by Greg Mortenson and David Relin. The book was a birthday gift from my mother in law; she was telling me about it during one of her visits, and I thought it was a book I would enjoy. The book is about Mortenson's quest to build schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Mortenson was an ER nurse and mountain climber, and after a failed attempt to climb K2 he was separated from his guide and stumbled into a village in Pakistan. He was very ill and spent several weeks in this village while they nursed him back to health. To show his gratitude, he promised to return and build the village its first school. That one school built by a grateful nurse evenutally turned into a foundation that has since built over 50 schools.

Reading this book, I was amazed by Mortenson's dedication and the sacrifices he has made in order to give children in another part of the world a chance to get an education. Living in his car, time away from his family, learning about Middle Eastern culture and politics, making contacts (and, inadvertently, several enemies) - there were so many obstacles he faced in order to build these schools, and he always found a way to continue on. The book also offers interesting insights into the people and culture of these countries. There were many stories and lessons in this book that have stayed with me, but one of the things that impacted me the most was Mortenson's belief that one of the best ways to fighting terrorism is to provide access to education and alleviate poverty. The Taliban targets the poor and uneducated, and children who are unable to imagine a better future for themselves are easy prey.

I really enjoyed reading this book - it was a great reminder that one person CAN make a difference.