Three Cups of Tea

Three Cups of Tea is the story of Greg Mortenson, an ER nurse and climber who decided to build a school in the village where he recovered his health after a failed attempt on K2 in Pakistan. His fundraising efforts reached Jean Hoerni, a former climber and one of Silicon Valley's pioneers, and the Central Asia Institute was born to build schools in rural Pakistan, especially for girls. It's rare to read a book that's both fast-paced and inspiring. Mortenson was detained by the Taliban, set up schools in refugee camps in Pakistan, and witnessed the aftermath of the U.S. bombing of Afghanistan.

In a semi-unrelated note, the last time this many members of my family all ended up reading the same book, it was Blame It On Paris by Laura Florand, a hilarious memoir marketed as a novel that's partially set in my hometown (not Paris, but a town in Georgia). My sister disliked Three Cups of Tea enough to put it in the recycle bin. I think that's what people in California do instead of burning books. =)

Adventure Photographs has pictures of Concordia ("the Throne Room of the Mountain Gods") and other places in the Karakoram that are in the book.