Three Cups of Tea author, Greg Mortenson, and students from Sitara school, Sarhad village, Wakhan corridor, NE Afghanistan. This is the first school in the whole region. (Courtesy of Central Asia Institute.)
Huntington Beach Reads 2008 featured book Three Cups of Tea;
Greg Mortenson’s visit to Huntington Beach attracts overflow crowd
“Here, we drink three cups of tea to do business; the first you are a stranger, the second you become a friend, and the third, you join our family, and for our family we are prepared to do anything — even die.”
Three Cups of Tea, Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin
Author Greg Mortenson attracted large crowds throughout the day on February 21, 2008, with a large area high school assembly in the morning through a public program in the evening at Huntington Beach High School. The Three Cups of Tea events—organized by the Human Relations Task Force and the Library Board of Trustees—were part of the first annual Huntington Beach Reads One Book program.
Seven buses brought about 800 students from seven area high schools to meet Greg Mortenson and hear about his mission to build schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Cheered like a rock star, Mortenson walked among the students, engaging them with jokes and questions. Afterward, students stood in line to get his autograph and talked about how Mortenson’s work has inspired them.
That evening, nearly 1,600 more people—from around Orange County, Los Angeles, Hollywood, Palm Springs and San Diego—began arriving two hours in advance of the program, braving the rainy night. Prior to the program, attendees viewed the photographs of Afghan American journalist and humanitarian Nadia Maiwandi which vividly portray the people and life within Afghanistan. People also stood in line to purchase copies of Three Cups of Tea from the Barnes & Noble kiosk.
The overflow audience sat in bleachers, chairs and on the floor of the gymnasium, viewing the slide presentation about Mortenson’s work in the Central Asian region. The program was frequently interrupted by applause and laughter as Mortenson told his story.
The Huntington Beach City Council and Pakistan Consul General join Mortenson
Mortenson started his talks by describing “failures” in his life that preceded his establishment of the Central Asia Institute. Mortenson points to this as an example that anyone can achieve and make a difference. He also credits children from his mother's elementary school—who donated over 6,000 pennies from their piggy banks—as giving him the real push he needed to dedicate his life to building schools in Central Asia. The penny donations led to the nationally-known “Pennies for Peace” campaign.
Joining Huntington Beach Reads for the program was Huntington Beach Mayor Debbie Cook, Mayor Pro Tem Keith Bohr, and City Council members, Jill Hardy, Gil Coerper, and Joe Carchio. The City Council endorsed the Huntington Beach Reads program in 2007, with council members reading Three Cups of Tea along with the community. The City Council also supported the purchase and distribution of book copies to area high schools.
Also making a special appearance was the Consul General of Pakistan, Mr. Syed Ibne Abbas, making a four-hour round trip from the Consulate offices in Los Angeles. Consul General Abbas talked to the audience about the current situation in Pakistan, and warmly embraced Mortenson to thank him for his work in the region.
After speaking and answering audience questions, Mortenson stayed for another three hours to autograph copies of his book for people until the last book was signed well after 11 p.m. Mortenson took a moment to shake each person’s hand and talk with them.
Mortenson’s story
Raised in Tanzania by missionary parents, Greg was instilled with a curiosity for the world and other cultures. Trained as a nurse, Greg set out to climb K2, the second–tallest mountain in the world, though generally regarded by mountaineers as the most challenging. During the climb, Greg was forced to relinquish the summit to save the life of a man on his team.
Upon returning down the mountain, Greg got lost and wound up in Korphe, Pakistan, a tiny village whose members nursed Greg back to health. In the process, he learned about the village’s “school,” where children were forced to scribble in the dirt with sticks without shelter from the Himalayan elements. Appalled, Greg promised to build them a new school one day. This is how the journey begins in Three Cups of Tea.
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Three Cups of Tea made the New York Times bestseller list just two months before it was selected by the Huntington Beach Reads Committee. Today it has maintained its place on the NYT list for 54 straight weeks. Learn more about Three Cups of Tea at www.threecupsoftea.com.
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