If you've talked to me in the last month, no doubt I've raved to you about this book, but I thought the blog would be a really good place to publicize it. I don't think it's very popular in the States (my dad claims that Border's doesn't carry it), but I've seen it a lot here. If you've read Mountains Beyond Mountains, about the doctor Paul Farmer, you will see that it's very similar to that book except Greg Mortenson, the hero, is such a regular guy and not such a saint!
Greg Mortenson climbed K2 (the second tallest mountain in the world) and didn't make it to the top, and he got lost on the way down in a village called Korphe in northeast Pakistan. Korphe's "school" was a group of children sitting in a clearing, under no roof, with no teacher, drawing with sticks in the mud. Greg promised to build them a school, and he did.
The great thing is, Greg wasn't rich. Greg lived out of the back of his truck while he was raising money to build his school. He wrote 580 letters to every famous person he could think of, and the only response he got was from Tom Brokaw, with a check for $100. The book is beautifully written and outlines Greg's progression from then to now, when he heads up the Central Asia Institute and will continue building many schools across Pakistan and Afghanistan. His determination and patience are things that I actually do often think of when I'm in the field encountering ridiculous problems. And he is an inspiration to anyone looking for an effective way to fight terrorism that doesn't include guns and endless military occupations. Buy this book today!
(I know I sound like an ad but I'm not selling anything. I just want everyone to read the book!)
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