I found the book, Three Cups of Tea, to be really inspirational. It was great witnessing Morteson's dedication and will power. I mean the man, started off knowing nothing. He didn't know where to go, he didn't know whom to consult, and he didn't even know what to do. All he wanted was to keep a promise, a promise he made to villagers in Korphe, Pakistan.
After being treated in Korphe for a climbing accident, he came across children writing in the mud and was instantly moved. He came back to America with one sole mission in mind, to build a school. At the time Morteson had no money, so he tried fundraising but his lack of experience with fundraisers posed to be significant challenge. Morteson soon overcame financial issues with the help of his mom, a principle, and Tom Brokaw, a television anchor, who supported his cause. The book continues, further explaining how clueless Morteson really was, but how he filled in the gaps in his knowledge with the help of so many different people. With the help of the Balti people that lived in Korphe, and some other Pakistani people he met along the way, he successfully built the school. Soon after people from other villages started asking him to build a school in their village. This led him to co find a group, called the Central Asia Institute. His group is held responsible for the creation of 171 schools across Asia, providing higher education for boys and especially girls.
Although this was an inspirational and moving book, I was kind of disappointed. This book basically only focused on Morteson's achievements, when I expected it to showcase stories. The book did talk a little about each characters background, but not to the caliber of my expectations. I was also VERY disappointed when I found out that Morteson did not contribute as much as I thought he did to the book. Relin is said to have written most of it, which saddens me because Morteson gets all the credit. :|
