DSL March Read: Karen's Pick
Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission To Promote Peace... One School At a Time by Greg Mortensonfrom the PW review:
"Some failures lead to phenomenal successes, and this American nurse's unsuccessful attempt to climb K2, the world's second tallest mountain, is one of them. Dangerously ill when he finished his climb in 1993, Mortenson was sheltered for seven weeks by the small Pakistani village of Korphe; in return, he promised to build the impoverished town's first school, a project that grew into the Central Asia Institute, which has since constructed more than 50 schools across rural Pakistan and Afghanistan. Co-author Relin recounts Mortenson's efforts in fascinating detail, presenting compelling portraits of the village elders, con artists, philanthropists, mujahideen, Taliban officials, ambitious school girls and upright Muslims Mortenson met along the way. As the book moves into the post-9/11 world, Mortenson and Relin argue that the United States must fight Islamic extremism in the region through collaborative efforts to alleviate poverty and improve access to education, especially for girls. Captivating and suspenseful, with engrossing accounts of both hostilities and unlikely friendships, this book will win many readers' hearts."
posted by mary_m @ 7:18 PM
13 Comments:
Cool. I've wondered if we were going to stick to novels or sometimes read non-fiction. I don't have a problem with sometimes reading an interesting non-fiction pick. I interlibrary loaned it today, so hopefully it'll get here soon.
And Karen, I hope you meant it when you said you'd take Corky if I die, 'cause once I get to Vegas and am financially better off, I'm seriously thinking of taking out a life insurance policy with you as the beneficiary so you'd have money to support him in the style to which he has become accustomed.
It came in on interlibrary loan today, so I'll get started this weekend. I've decided to quit reading "On Beauty" because it's stupid and I'd prefer to read this one. This is unprecedented for me--I have a really hard time not finishing a book I've started even if I hate it. It's a compulsion. I'm trying out new habits here.
Weird... mine arrived today, too. Not a moment too soon either - all the books I have checked out from the library right now are boring and stupid.
I'm really enjoying the book so far. I'm about 7 chapters in. Now I'm googling lots of pictures of ibexes (ibices?) and K2 because it all sounds fascinating and is clearly somewhere I will never, ever go.
Okay, I was a little skeptical about this book when I first picked it up, and I certainly wouldn't have found my way to it had it not been the official book club selection. To be honest, I thought it might be cheesy.
That said, I think it's fantastic, and not cheesy at all. The action of the mountaineering segments really grabbed me, as did the descriptions of village life in Pakistan. When I think of Pakistan, it's the urban parts I see on television, so this was unexpected.
Also, the issues of trust this book raises are interesting. On the one hand, for Mortensen to trust Changazi... and then for Hoerni to trust Mortensen. I guess I live in this ugly urban world where I just assume everybody's out to screw you over, and if someone asks you for money, they're probably up to something.
This book is a good reminder that not everyone is like that.
I am loving the book. Like Mary, I was a little afraid it might be this sort of whitewashed fawning story about this guy. But the chapters about the mountaineering, the descriptions of the landscape and the roads, and the way this guy just sort of manages to stumble into exactly what he needs right when he needs it, almost entirely based on somehow inspiring intense goodwill in others and assuming people will give him, are all amazing accounts.
I'm very impressed by how he's able to remain patient and keep his temper in situations where I would freak out, throw a fit, and probably ruin any chance of success. People like Changazi would make me so mad it would be hard for me to remain diplomatic and respectful, and yet over and over he manages somehow rein in his anger and frustration, or to take advice from people it must have been humiliating to have to do so.
I also have to say, the stark contrast in the value put on education between these remote villages and here is sort of demoralizing. I mean, they'll give 12 rams, a huge amount of wealth to them, to bribe a corrupt official, but we can't distribute property taxes a little more evenly so all kids in our country have decent schools to attend?
And can you imagine American students sitting in the cold trying to learn on their own?
I'm seriously considering making a donation next year when I have a little more money.
No, I think you're absolutely right. As I'm reading, I keep wondering if Mortensen found himself on any kind of terrorist watch-list or "no-fly" list after 9/11.
As much mistrust as he might have encountered from the Balti people after 9/11, I think Americans would have been even more suspicious of his motives, thinking he was building terrorist training cells or some such thing.
From Mary's comment: "I think Americans would have been even more suspicious of his motives, thinking he was building terrorist training cells or some such thing."
Just wait...you'll get there. Reading the chapter "A Village Called New York" made it quite clear how very, very incompetent our intelligence agencies were and how little they could distinguish real threats from ordinary activity.
This morning I was listening to a story about how poor oversight of contractors has led to multi-million-dollar mistakes in the Iraq reconstruction. I just kept thinking how much you could do with that money if you used it the way Mortenson does--to buy materials locally, pay people to contribute labor, and get communities involved so they take ownership of the project and then want to protect it afterward. And, you know, if people had jobs and were seeing lasting improvements to their villages being made, you *might* get a little more help stopping the insurgency...and have fewer people joining it.
It also made me think about how we bombed Afghanistan and then just abandoned it. It would take SO LITTLE money, relative to how much we spend on other stuff, to make a huge difference in these areas, and yet when we DO try reconstruction, we botch it terribly and mostly just enrich the contractors while not getting a whole lot done.
Clearly we just need to make a Department of Reconstruction and make Greg Mortenson director.
Yeah, I finished it yesterday. The part when the interrogator asked him if he knew where Osama bin Laden was, and was, like, seriously asking... yeah, that was horrible.
I was really worried more about Mortensen here than when he was kidnapped.
I can get "The Road." I'll go grab it today just in case that's your pick.
I finished the book today. I guess I can see where Dusty is coming from, but for me, the book worked. Yeah, the guy is sort of portrayed as a saint, but they do talk about how the CAI board gets frustrated with him, and how his wife has to deal with his single-mindedness all the time, etc. I think sometimes we're so cynical and used to being crass that anything that is sort of straightforward and sincere just seems horribly sappy and cheesey.
I am glad that CAI branched out into some economic projects, too. I mean, schools are great. But sometimes in the U.S. we think of "education" as this fix-all for any problem. People are homeless? We need education! Racism? Education! Global inequality? Education! And there are lots of arguments for the power of education. But at the same time, it can be a really easy, non-threatening solution--it doesn't require anyone to take any action or change their own lives; we just need to change our attitudes and all will fall into place. I think combining the school initiative with the water pumps and other projects that make a specific, tangible, and immediate difference in people's material lives is more effective.
The chapter with the intro quote where the bumper sticker said "Nuke 'em all--let Allah sort 'em out" reminded me of an argument I had with a woman from my hometown in Oklahoma right around the time we were about to invade Iraq. I was trying to have a calm discussion with her about why I thought the war was wrong and, thinking some evidence might be useful, pointed out that none of the 9/11 hijackers were from Iraq. This led to the following interaction:
"You're right. That's why I think we should just kill 'em all."
"Uh...kill WHO all?"
"Them."
"Them..."
"The people over there."
[pause]
"Do you mean the people in the Middle East?"
"Yeah."
"We should kill all the people in the Middle East."
"Yeah."
When I stared at this middle-aged woman in horror, she brought in reinforcements, assuring me that the two 16-year-old kids standing next to us listening agreed with her (and they quickly made it clear they did). At that moment I realized the conversation was utterly and entirely useless.
So I guess I'm just happy to read about someone who has managed to find something that might make a small difference (or even a large one) and whose goals don't seem to involve killing anyone.
I got a copy of "The Road" too. So if you don't pick it, Karen and I are just going to have our own little sub-group and read it anyway.
Dustin and Oprah picked the same book! This is completely hilarious to me.
DUSTY! What have you DONE?! I picked up "The Road" before I went to bed last night, planning just to read the first 5 pages or so. I finally forced myself to put it down 62 pages later and then experienced several hours of insomnia due to my new-found concern about how I would survive if there were roving bands of cannibals about. Evil, evil man, you are!
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