April 2009 Book Club - Three Cups of Tea

Our first monthly book club meeting ensued with enthusiasm last evening as we discussed Three Cups of Tea written by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin. This #1 New York Time’s Bestseller boasted ‘a real-life Indiana Jones and his remarkable humanitarian campaign in the Taliban’s backyard’ on its back cover, leading the reader to believe they were about to embark on an amazing adventure. Although, this book did have some engaging points it was certainly not action packed.

The consensus of the ladies in the book club was that Greg Mortenson, the Indiana Jones of the story, was completely flawed and none of us could be married to the man. Haji Ali, the Nurmadhar of Korphe village and Mortenson’s mentor, was the most endearing character in the book. A man described as illiterate, but beyond his years in wisdom, he guided an awkward, fumbling Mortenson on his humanitarian journey of building schools for the uneducated children of Pakistan.

As the story progresses we are painted a visual of Mortenson’s inept decision making skills. Even some of the more basic rules we teach our children he seems to have forgotten. Didn’t his mother ever teach him not to take rides from strangers? I know the wise Haji Ali had warned him. In the story, Greg accepted a ride from Gul after a single cup of tea. Did he not read the back cover of his own book? “Here (in Pakistan and Afghanistan), we drink three cups of tea to do business, the first you are a stranger, the second you become a friend, and the third, you join our family." I found myself enraged at his decision to be so careless.

Many of us took issue with the fact he spent all of his time helping children in a foreign country while neglecting his own. How did his pregnant wife survive his disappearance when he was kidnapped in Waziristan? During all the time they spent apart who helped raise their children? She is the one who deserves a medal.

Mortenson believed that post 9/11 information revealed some massive mistakes made by American military during the invasion of Afghanistan. Some of the members felt that Mortenson developed a slight anti-American sentimentality at this point. Could that have been a result of the death threats his family received after 9/11 for his humanitarian efforts in Pakistan? Or could it be Mortenson’s upbringing in Africa and his homeless early adult years living out of his car while writing letters to raise funds to build the Pakistani schools? No matter how you look at it, Mortenson lived a life most of us can’t imagine.

In the end the book club agreed that we felt more enriched after reading this story, even if it was a difficult read. A glossary of names and terms would have been a great addition to the book. Several members wanted the book to delve more deeply into the true Muslim culture and how it was for them during the Afghan and Iraqi war. Mortenson may not be the most engaging character, but we all agreed the world is a better place with him in it. Who can argue with the amazing gift of educating women in a nation where they have been oppressed for generations?

I encourage you to post comments here about this book. Feel free to agree or disagree. This is a forum to enrich and foster book discussions.

Next month we will be discussing The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith. I hope you can join this virtual book club, especially if you don’t have time to attend one in person.