Trouble for "Tea"

After watching a 60 Minute segment on Sunday night, I couldn't help but feel disappointment at, of all things, a book.  Ok, that's not quite right.  My disappointment isn't really with a book as much as it is with the so-called author of the book, Greg Mortenson.

If you haven't read Three Cups of Tea, you're probably wondering why it, and Mortenson, elicit such an emotional response.  Here's the deal.  Mortenson built, and supposedly continues to build, schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan.  His memoir, Three Cups of Tea documents his accounts.  Here's the catch.  Reportedly, some of his accounts are not accurate or are potentially outright works of fiction.  You might still be wondering why my reaction is so strong to hearing this information.  I LOVE THIS BOOK!  I love it for its message of hope and overcoming adversity.  I love it for the fact that it shines light on the power of humanitarianism.  And now all of that might be a lie?

Then I got to thinking.  Ok, so what if Greg Mortenson fabricated parts of the story.  Yes - he allegedly lied.  But at the end of the day, I still love the book.  It still resonates with the messages of hope and overcoming adversity that I loved the first time I read it.  I am still inspired by acts of humanitarianism, even if Greg Mortenson's humanitarian efforts are more self-serving than he cares to admit.  I don't like that Mortenson potentially has made  fools of his readers, including me.  I don't like that he allegedly lied.  I don't like that he won't come forward to defend himself if he is innocent.  I don't like that he won't  come forward and admit the truth if he is guilty.  But I do like the book.  And for a reader, that's the power of literature.  Fact or fiction, truth or fantasy, a good story is inspiring.  End of story.

Read Three Cups of Tea and decide for yourself. If, in fact, parts of the story are fabricated, then read it as a work of fiction.  Odds are, you'll still find yourself inspired.