Turning Stones Into Schools (2000) - Plot & Excerpts
i was just looking for a travelogue in afghanistan, having recently returned from a deployment there. Instead i found stones into schools which gave so much more information, a story, and more interesting than any travelogue i might have found. The story telling jumps around somewhat but each stop gives a fascinating look at a new location, the people, and the events in Afganistan and Pakistan. The mission to build schools across the area is incredibly important and finishing the book just wants me wanting to know more. I want pictures of the last school, is the dirty dozen all ok? Three Cups of Tea was amazing; this book is very, very good. I think the real difference for me was just that Three Cups of Tea was written by a writer (a journalist named David Oliver Relin) and this book was written by Greg Mortenson with the help of another writer. It's still a terrific book, with a lot more details of the day to day operations of CAI in Afghanistan and Pakistan, which is sort of like the extreme sports/Macgyver version of community outreach. Plus, it's always possible that the next group of people you run into may want to kill you for what you're doing. At one point, Greg Mortenson describes his first meeting with Admiral Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, (Three Cups of Tea is now required reading for many of the military men and women heading to Afghanistan). The Admiral asks if Mortenson has any good news from Afghanistan and is told that "at the height of the Taliban's power in 2000, less than 800,000 children were enrolled in school in Afghanistan--all of them boys. Today, however, student enrollment across the country [is:] approaching 8 million children, 2.4 million of whom are girls." The thirst for education is a powerful force, and this book makes it crystal clear that no matter what the Taliban threaten, Afghanis will do anything they can to support their children's learning. Fantastic.
What do You think about Turning Stones Into Schools (2000)?
I really liked the story although I think he put a few unnecessary additional side stories into it. I think his ideas are great and unlike most American charities he's utilizing the locals to do the work. I've read about so many times American charities go into a community and give them something that the locals don't have any connection to and don't know how to do upkeep or utilize it properly. He has the whole community agree on a course of action, they donate the land and labor and many supplies and agree to protect the school and make sure girls were enrolled and going to school. Then the NGO provides the technical supplies and sometimes pays the teachers and buys supplies. It reminds me of how the church does charity. You do as much as you can and we'll make up the difference.
—Donna
I probably should have read Three Cups of Tea first, but there is enough background in this book to read it on its own. I am not a huge fan of non-fiction, but I do feel smarter after this book. I had to try to create lessons for this book as an alternate assignment for a student whose family did not want her to read Kite Runner. Comparatively, this book was much more difficult to create lessons for. I couldn't find the linguistic depth or moral gray area that Kite Runner has. However, there were some conceptual ideas about education, women's rights, and politics that were interesting. I'm definitely more willing to give non-fiction a try after reading this, but would still be sad if I had to teach it more than fiction or literary memoir.
—Jackie
Much better than his first book. Rings much truer and his cause is presented better.
—matthewjshelton
Enjoyed this book as much as "Three Cups of Tea"
—divide
