How did the book Three Cups of Tea come about?
Greg Mortenson: I am not a writer. I’m not an author. And I had hundreds of people ask me, “Please write a book”. First of all, I don’t write a lot. I like to read. I also am so busy with my work, raising money, going overseas, and then running an organization, also trying to be a dad and a husband. But finally, in 2004, after 9/11, I realized that people in America are really yearning to understand more about the societies in Islam. So over two years, with a co-author, we got the book Three Cups of Tea written. I never intended it to become a bestseller. I just wanted to bring a message about what education can do. When I first wrote Three Cups of Tea, I picked the title, “Three Cups of Tea.” What it means is — Haji Ali, the village chief taught me: the first cup, you’re a stranger; second cup, a friend; and third cup, you become family. But the process takes several years. And what he means is that in order to do something, you need to build relationships. But the publisher, Viking
