Author and humanitarian Greg Mortenson spoke in Chattanooga recently, recounting the heartwarming story of his efforts to improve the lives of children in Afghanistan and Pakistan.\u00a0 Mortenson is known for raising money to build schools, and his award winning book has inspired many.<\/p>\n
\u201cBy coincidence, if you believe in them, Education About Asia<\/em> had already scheduled a review of Mortenson\u2019s book Three Cups of Tea<\/em> in our fall issue before we learned that the author would be in Chattanooga,\u201d said Dr. Lucien Ellington, Co-Director UTC Asia Program and Editor of Education About Asia. <\/em><\/p>\n Education About Asia<\/em> is an international teaching journal created to inform teachers and undergraduate professors, published by the Association for Asian Studies.\u00a0 Louise Nayer, Professor of English at City College of San Francisco, served as the reviewer for Mortenson\u2019s book.<\/p>\n Mortenson \u201cwanted desperately to reach the summit of K2 in Pakistan\u2019s Karakoram mountain range to memorialize his sister, Christa, by leaving her necklace at 28,267 feet\u2026Though he did not make it to the top, her kind spirit and life of struggle guided him. When he was found, near death, and brought to the village of Korphe, he witnessed the extreme poverty and grave medical problems of the villagers. These villagers, who had next to nothing, gave him endless attention, food, and drink,\u201d Nayer writes.<\/p>\n Mortenson\u2019s book, co-written with David Oliver Relin, describes his personal journey and how he kept his promise to build a school in the village, the first of many educational opportunities he has created in this part of the world.<\/p>\n \u201cThree Cups of Tea<\/em> can be successfully used in both high school and college English and history classes,\u201d Nayer said.<\/p>\n Last year, the book moved students at Girls Preparatory School to raise nearly $60,000 in one week to build a new school for girls in Pakistan.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cI congratulate GPS for assisting in internationalizing our community through sponsoring this acclaimed author.\u00a0 I am delighted as well to discover that other area schools are having students read Mortenson\u2019s book.\u201d<\/p>\n