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 this 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? How did these relationships contribute to his humanitarian mission in Pakistan?
 

What is the significance of tea in this book and in the title?
 

Agree or disagree with Mortenson’s statement: “When we increase literacy, we substantially reduce tensions.”
 

Describe persons with whom Mortenson works who made an impression on you. What makes them memorable?
 

Comment on Mortenson’s decision that CAI schools should emphasize increasing girls’ enrollment. “Once you educate the boys, they tend to leave the villages and go in search for work in the cities. But girls stay home, become leaders in the community, and pass on what they’ve learned. If you really want to change a culture, to empower women, improve basic hygiene and health care, and fight high rates of infant mortality, the answer is to educate girls.”
 

How has this book added to your understanding of other cultures and a geographic region few Americans have an opportunity to experience firsthand? What information about the Central Asian region and culture in this book did you find most interesting or surprising or useful?
 

How does Relin’s telling the story give it a different perspective than if Mortenson had written the narrative himself?
 

It has been suggested that Tara, Mortenson’s wife, is as much a hero in her own right as he is in his. How would you respond to this comment?
 

Is Mortenson someone you would like to know? What questions would you ask him? What risks has Mortenson taken? Do you think he has been brave or foolish? Mortenson is shown as a hero but also as a flawed human being with some exasperating traits. Talk about Mortenson’s character. Do you think Mortenson is simply an exceptional person, or can anyone make a difference like this with enough commitment?
 

There is a telling passage about Mortenson’s change of direction at the start of the book: “One evening, he went to bed by a yak dung fire a mountaineer who’d lost his way, and one morning, by the time he’d shared a pot of butter tea with his hosts and laced up his boots, he’d become a humanitarian who’d found a meaningful path to follow for the rest of his life.” What made Mortenson particularly ripe for such a transformation?
 

The Balti people are fierce yet extremely hospitable, kind yet rigid, determined to better themselves yet stuck in the past. Discuss your reactions to them and the other groups that Mortenson tries to help.
 

Mortenson was devastated when, after returning to Korphe with supplies to build a school, village chief Haji Ali says he must build a bridge first. What does Mortenson learn from this experience? What else does he learn from Haji Ali? What other “bumps in the road” did he experience? Discuss his repeated brushes with failure and how they influenced your opinion of Mortenson and his efforts.
 

After Haji Ali’s family saves Greg’s life, he reflects that he could never “imagine discharging the debt he felt to his hosts in Korphe.” Discuss this sense of indebtedness as key to Mortenson’s character. Why was Mortenson compelled to return to the region again and again? In your opinion, does he repay his debt by the end of the book?
 

References to paradise run throughout the book – Mortenson’s childhood home in Tanzania, the mountain scenery, even Berkeley, California, are all referred to as “paradises.” Discuss the concept of paradise, lost and regained, and how it influences Mortenson’s mission. The book also states “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.
 

“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? How would you have reacted to such mail?
 

Why do you think the villages in Korphe were so excited about getting their own school? What is unique about having a school, as opposed to other things Mortenson could have built, like a hospital or community center?
 

How is building schools in Pakistan similar to climbing a mountain? What did Mortenson learn from his failed attempt to summit K2?
 

Much of the book is a meditation on what it means to be a foreigner assimilating with another culture. Discuss your own experience with foreign cultures – things that you have learned, mistakes you have made, and misunderstandings you have endured. In what ways does Mortenson adapt to Muslim culture? What’s your reaction to this? What different reactions did (or might) his adaptations provide within the Muslim community?
 

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? After reading Three Cups of Tea, are you optimistic about peace in Pakistan and Afghanistan?
 

In this 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. 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? Does what Mortenson and the Central Asian Institute do help the global image of the United States? Why or why not?
 

Thousands of madrassas offer free room and board and education in areas the Pakistani’s educational system does not reach. Of the 2 million Pakistani students taught in various madrassas, over eighty thousand become Taliban recruits. Should schools remain politically and religiously neutral? Can they be? Can this situation be compared to other historical events?
 

It seems as if everywhere Mortenson turns he has to deal with politics. What are some of the political obstacles (local, regional, global) he had to overcome? What does his experience tell us about the relationship between politics and education? Does this happen in the United States? In Texas? In Richardson?
 

What critical questions should we ask about philanthropic projects such as those described in this book?
 

At the heart of Three Cups of Tea is a simple message: education is important. Reflect on your own education. How has it mattered to you? What might your future be like if you were limited to the education available to most in Pakistan and Afghanistan? Why is higher education - especially in our society – important?
 

Other people constantly impact Mortenson’s ability to carry out his plans. What role does “community” (other people, relationships, etc.) play in his experience? What specific events or scenes in the book demonstrate how other help (or hinder) his work? According to Three Cups of Tea, how does Mortenson characterize the concept of community? What is the relationship of the individual to his sense of community? As an individual, what specific steps might you be willing to take to meet the challenges posed by this book? In other words, what next steps are you willing to take?



Questions adapted from the following sources: Plainfield Public Library/Reading Across Plainfield; Washington State University/Vancouver; about.com; University of Missouri; Penguin Reading Guide