BOOKS: STONES INTO SCHOOLS

"Extraordinary, Remarkable AND Amazing..."

STONES INTO SCHOOLS: Promoting Peace With Books, Not Bombs, in Afghanistan and Pakistan

by Greg Mortenson
(Viking Adult, 2009)

[Hardcover, 448 pages, $26.95 U.S. - buy for less on Amazon.com!]

Greg Mortenson’s follow-up to the bestselling THREE CUPS OF TEA is extraordinary, remarkable and amazing; all in one, and so much more: fascinating history, culture, philosophy, education, tragedy, adventure and geography.

Three Cups of Tea left an indelible impression: Through the third person narrative, we learned how and why an unsuccessful, near-fatal attempt to climb K2 launched an unemployed, down and out nurse on his life’s work, to build schools for girls in Pakistan.

In Stones Into Schools, the adventure continues, this time in Mortenson’s own voice and direct perspective. It is a powerful first-person narrative on the compelling necessities and nearly insurmountable adversities of expanding his school-building mission into the most remote and nearly inaccessible regions of war-torn Afghanistan.

Mortenson’s extraordinary mission and accomplishments are amazing: in 16 years, he has built more than 130 schools and countless smaller community development and support projects (women’s centers, infrastructure, water systems, etc.). What started as a one-man operation has gradually expanded, with the support of his nonprofit organization, the Central Asia Institute (CAI) and “…a tiny crew of completely ‘unqualified’ aid-workers – a rag-tag band of local taxi drivers, porters, and former soldiers and insurgents – led by a former mountain-climbing nurse from America.”

They way Mortenson and his “Dirty Dozen” (as he calls them) go about the work is even more remarkable, having recognized that cultural change cannot come about by command and decree, but only by building relationships, understanding history and tradition and respecting cultural differences. Taking time to ask and listen to what people need and how to support them to build their own schools, using donated land and local labor and resources fosters a community sense of ownership and commitment.

Although Mortenson is careful to point out CAI is not affiliated with or supported in any way by the U.S. Government, the U.S. military has adapted many of his principles and philosophies while attempting to stabilize and re-build Afghanistan.

THREE CUPS OF TEA is now required reading in some parts of the military and in many high school and university programs.
STONES INTO SCHOOLS should be, too.

Greg Mortenson’s mission and his books offer proof that small things can make a huge difference; faith in the human spirit and the power of literacy and education; and hope that peace can be fostered in the Middle East and every remote corner of the world, one small, yet resounding step at a time.

For more information and inspiration, visit:
www.StonesIntoSchools.com
Central Asia Institute (CAI)

Help Greg Mortenson promote girls’ education, literacy and peace: one penny, one pencil, one child, one book, and three cups of tea at a time:
www.StonesIntoSchools.com/how-to-help/