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Three Cups of Tea ~ Mortenson ~ Book Club Online ~ Prediscussion

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Persian:
JOAN - I'm delighted to see that Greg Mortenson's Three Cups of Tea has been proposed, since I certainly enjoyed it and the recent discussion about his adventures with our local Library, which asked me to talk about Afghan culture in connection with the book.  There were fascinating points which the various BookEnds members took away after completing the book - and which they shared eagerly with each other (and me) - thus enabling us to have a broad sense of what "spoke" to each reader.  And when the readers learned the cultural meaning of the book's title, they broke out in applause.  I recommend the book with enthusiasm as it is truly an opportunity to see how one man's initial efforts made a huge difference in an unknown (to the Westerner) world region.  For those posters who might like to introduce children and/or youth to the topic, Mortenson's  Listen to the Wind is a delightful selection.

Here is a link to the several editions of Mortenson's tales about his adventures in Central Asia.
NOTE: Listen to the Wind is especially appropriate for children to learn about the rural village in Pakistan and perhaps to consider how best to relate to and understand the children of those villages.  It has also served in our community to interest youngsters to contribute their pennies to projects designed for the village children.

Mortensen's Tales



Mahlia

JoanK:
PATH: great to see you here! MAHLIA: we will rely on your knowledge of Afganistan to help us understand this adventure. Your posts always light up any discussion you're in.

Persian:
It will be MY pleasure to join in the discussion and learn about the impressions of others about Mortenson's efforts to bring about a better understanding of the region, while sharing some of his own unique experiences. 

At the moment, I am listening in the background to a marvelous PBS program - "Cantors" - which among its selections features the Jewish traditional music of the Middle East.  As I sign along with some of the verses, I am reminded of the wonderful stories I learned as a child.
The Diaspora was world-wide, so many traditions (including music) include regional and local hints of the populations - some Jewish, others not.  I recall humming and singing some of the verses to a couple of similar songs when I was in Iran many years ago.  That little bit of vanity on my part led me to meet two marvelous Persian Jewish families.

Mahlia

Persian:
JOAN - Here is the CBS News link to an interview with author Greg Mortenson in which he explains how/why he was persuaded to write Three Cups of Tea.  Reading the book AND listening to his interview gives one a more complete understanding of why he was persuaded to write of his experiences in Central Asia.  Perhaps you may want to add this link to the Proposed discussion site.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/01/04/sunday/main4697362.shtml

Mahlia

kidsal:
Have ordered the book.

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