I just finished reading
Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin.
Click here to learn more about it. I love this book!
It is the true story of Greg Mortenson. He used to be a nurse/mountain climber. Returning from a failed attempt at climbing K2 in the 1990s, he found himself in a small village in northern Pakistan, one of the poorest areas of the world. After the kindness the people showed him, he wanted to give something back and decided to build a school for the children there, particularly for the girls. The story follows his life from that time up through 2005-ish. You read all about the obstacles he faced as he tried to reach out and help the people in these villages. I mean, just imagine: one, lone American man showing up in Pakistan, trying to put together everything he would need to build a school in one of the most remote places imaginable. Well, he did it and went on to do so much more. He now runs the Central Asia Institute which helps to fund and build schools and other important projects for the poorest areas of Pakistan and Afghanistan. The story is really remarkable and inspiring. It's very easy to read because of the flowing narrative style, and this book really gives you perspective on how we can work to make the world a better place and promote peace through communication and education, not through war. (And you can make donations to CAI through their website at www.ikat.org.)
Anyway, I don't want to get preachy, but it's really an awesome book - one of the best I've read in the last few years. I HIGHLY recommend it!!!