Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace...One School at a Time by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin was my latest read.

If you haven't heard of it you need to climb out from under the rock you've been living under since it's been on bestseller lists everywhere, as well as prominently displayed on bookshelves in almost every store I've walked into as of late that carries books.

Three Cups of Tea is the story about how one man, Greg Mortenson, after losing his father and sister, decided to climb the K2 in their honor. K2, so you know, is believed to be the world's most difficult mountain to climb by many experienced mountaineers.

During Mortenson's adventure he stayed for an extended period of time in a little village in Pakistan named Korphe.

And during his stay he came to realize that the one thing that many of the villagers desired, and needed, was a school. Since there was no regular building the students, especially in the winter, needed a school where they could learn, even the girls.

They also needed a regular teacher since they were currently splitting time with another village for the one that they had. But, $1 a day for a teacher's salary is quite expensive for that part of the world and it was something they couldn't afford until Greg Mortenson came along.

Greg, pre 9/11, helped raise money in the United States so he could build schools and educate the kids of Pakistan.

And now, since 9/11, his mission has grown exponentially due to the donations he's received from willing Americans to fight terrorism on a grassroots level believing, like Greg, that by helping to educat the youth of other countries you can win the war of ignorance and thus the war on terror.

It's really quite a fascinating read. I couldn't believe how the pages flew by as I read, but it was quite interesting and something that I recommend for everyone. It's really a true story about how one person can make a difference if they try.

If you're interested in learning more about this, but can't get to the book store to buy a copy, or don't have the money, you can visit a few websites:


Or email them at:


And now, which poor book gets to have the daunting task of following this one up for me? I should probably wait a day or two to pick another one up, but I'm in that ravenous mode of reading right now and the only way it can be satisfied is by reading another excellent book.