Zuber Malek
Dr. Dina-Alsowayel
“Venti of Chai Latte Extra Cream No Sugar Shot of Pumpkin Spice”
Tea, is something I was raised drinking my whole life. My parents drink it three times a day, milk and sweet. At home we refer to it as chai. When I first encountered the title of this book “3 Cups of Tea”, I was immediately tuned in. Seeing as how Pakistan and India were one country, and I was raised in a Sunni Muslim family, with an Indian background, the theme of this book was right up my alley. However, I went into this book with a hint of suspicion, I researched the author and book prior to reading, and boy was I surprised with what I read. I decided to jump in regardless, with an open mind. What I discovered in the book, left me happy.
I was swept into a moving and quite romantic view of the plights the people of Northern Pakistan go through. While reading, I was transformed into the rugged hills and sharp mountain peaks of the territory, something inside of my yearned to live there, as if life was way simpler and people were happier. The book talks about this, stating that even though life was basic, away from the hustle and stress of life, doesn’t mean that the people of these village didn’t suffer from their own problems. Malnutrition, hospitals, education and basic amenities that we sometimes take for granted, were rare. Even after hearing that, I could picture myself tending to farm animals, smelling the fresh crisp mountain air, and relaxing with local village members talking about life.
The first few pages of the book, speaking about K2, sent me into a whirlwind of google searches and YouTube documentaries. I never knew that mountaineering and the perils of it, would peak my interest so heavily. I put the book down and had to see more of this in action. The way Greg Mortensen described the perils, weren’t exaggerated at all, that is the most dangerous mountains to climb in the world, 1 in 4 people die attempting to climb it. We can see from the beginning of this book, that Greg is up for a challenge, even attempting to climb it, usually negates the type of person who would be content with an average life. Greg wasn’t average though, growing up in a continent like Africa, and hiking up Mt Kilimanjaro at a young age.
So yes, I did read the bad news about Greg, but I still went in to the book very optimistic. I asked myself, would Greg, if he was a compulsive liar, state in the beginning of his book, that he didn’t even summit K2? Especially a journey that was a dedication to his deceased sister? If any compulsive liar had the opportunity to write a book, would he have stated he failed climbing the most dangerous mountain on earth? I didn’t think so. What I got from most of the stories, was an exaggeration of things that might have happened, enough to where the reader might be a bit more entertained than reality. I looked at it like the countless Hollywood films that get made, with a “based on a true story” theme. It’s entertaining, and m...
