"Three Cups of Tea" is an inspiring story of one man's mission to
promote peace by building schools in the remote regions of Pakistan and
Afghanistan. It's the featured book for the February "Community Reads"
program.

Pick up a copy of the book at the Chanhassen or Chaska libraries, read it, and join the discussion.

Here are several questions from the Penguin Reader's Guide to get you
started. Feel free to respond to these questions, or offer questions or
observations of your own.

1. At the heart of the book is a powerful but simple
   political message: we each as individuals have the power to change the
   world, one cup of tea at a time. Yet the book powerfully dramatizes the
   obstacles in the way of this philosophy: bloody wars waged by huge
   armies, prejudice, religious extremism, cultural barriers. What do you
   think of the “one cup of tea at a time” philosophy? Do you think
   Mortenson’s vision can work for lasting and meaningful change?
2. References to paradise run throughout the
   book—Mortenson’s childhood home in Tanzania, the mountain scenery, even
   Berkeley, California, are all referred to as “paradise.” Discuss the
   concept of paradise, lost and regained, and how it influences
   Mortenson’s mission.
3. Mortenson’s transition from climbing bum to humanitarian
   hero seems very abrupt. However, looking back, it’s clear that his
   sense of mission is rooted in his childhood, the values of his parents,
   and his relationship with his sister Christa. Discuss the various
   facets of Mortenson’s character—the freewheeling mountain climber, the
   ER nurse, the devoted son and brother, and the leader of a humanitarian
   cause. Do you view him as continuing the work his father began?
4. “I expected something like this from an ignorant village
   mullah, but to get those kinds of letters from my fellow Americans made
   me wonder whether I should just give up,” Mortenson remarked after he
   started getting hate mail in the wake of September 11. What was your
   reaction to the letters Mortenson received?

    

5. The authors write that “the Balti held the key to a kind
   of uncomplicated happiness that was disappearing in the developing
   world.” This peaceful simplicity of life seems to be part of what
   attracts Mortenson to the villagers. Discuss the pros and cons of bringing Civilization to the mountain community.
6. Much of the book is a meditation on what it means to be a
   foreigner assimilating with another culture. Discuss your own
   experiences with foreign cultures—things that you have learned,
   mistakes you have made, misunderstandings you have endured.
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7. Did the book change your views toward Islam or Muslims?
   Consider the cleric Syed Abbas, and also the cleric who called a fatwa
   on Mortenson. Syed Abbas implores Americans to “look into our hearts
   and see that the great majority of us are not terrorists, but good and
   simple people.” Discuss this statement. Has the book inspired you to
   learn more about the region?