Greg Mortenson has been in the news lately and not in a good way. I took Three Cups of Tea off the shelf to see what all the hub bub was about.
The story was admirable. The son of missionaries raised in Africa follows his passion for climbing and attempts to summit K2. He fails in his attempt and finds his way into the local culture as he recovers. Makes perfect sense, a man raised to give selflessly to others is called to do that in a poor, remote part of the world.
I found the book itself difficult to read. Small print, with lots of words crammed onto each page. I'm not the type to dismiss a book because of the way it looks. I started to read. My mind jostled through each paragraph to the next. Mortenson had a co-author and this book really feels if it's being told through his eyes. Three Cups of Tea is written in third person. I'm not a snob but for a memoir third person doesn't allow the reader to engage deeply in the story. I didn't like being on the outside looking in.
It doesn't happen very often, but I gave up. The story didn't seem real to me, more like a work of fiction. What I read in the news claims that maybe alot of it isn't. Do I believe that Mr. Mortenson did a wonderful thing building schools? Yes. Was the book worth reading? Probably. It just wasn't my cup of tea.
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