Books

A Review of Stones into Schools

A sequel to the best-selling Three Cups of Tea, this book continues Mor­ten­son's inspirational narrative about building schools in conservative Muslim countries to educate girls as well as boys. By word of mouth, news about the schools he built in Pakistan traveled to Afghanistan, and he received urgent pleas to build schools there too. Once he had launched a program to build schools in some of the most remote territories in Afghanistan, including in areas dominated by the Taliban, he was drawn back to Pakistan by the devastating earthquake of 2005. Remarkably, top brass in the American military grasped Mortenson's vision that peace will come about not through bombs but through education and winning the hearts and minds of the people. One of the keys to Mortenson's success is how he respects and listens to the local people, including the children, and honors what is important to them.