Three Cups of Tea

One Man’s Mission to Promote Peace… One School at a Time

By Greg Mortenson & David Oliver Relin
Viking (Hardcover, 2006)
Penguin (Paperback, 2007)
#1 New York Times Bestseller

This book inspires, moves, and fills me with renewed passion to work for causes I deeply believe in.

Three Cups of Tea tells the story of a man’s campaign to promote peace through education—especially girls’ education—in Pakistan and Afghanistan. It is the inspirational account of mountaineer Greg Mortenson, who, after failing to climb K2 (the world’s second-highest mountain), stumbles into a remote village. Cared for by strangers, he makes a promise that changes his life: to return and build a school for their children.

Over the next decade, Mortenson goes on to help build fifty-five schools, with a strong focus on educating girls. These schools offer balanced education in some of the most isolated, impoverished, and dangerous regions of the world.

A Story That Provokes and Inspires

There have been questions and debates about how much of this story is fact and how much may be fiction—and we may never know the full truth. Yet, regardless of these controversies, the heart of the story remains deeply inspirational.

The book has an earthy, grounded feel, capturing both the beauty and the struggles of Pakistan and Afghanistan. Above all, it powerfully highlights the urgent need to give girls and women access to education and healthcare—a noble cause truly worth living for.

Final Note

P.S. If you enjoy this book, be sure to read its sequel, Stones Into Schools, which continues the journey and deepens the conversation around education and peace.