Final Reflection: Three Cups of Tea

I was skeptical at first, but I'm going to give Three Cups of Tea a thumbs-up. There were so many things that I learned about the living conditions and the culture of the area from this book. On top of that, it was an inspiring story with hundreds of awesome life lessons to teach. I'll put it this way: if I had the kind of life someone would write a book about, I would want the book to be like this one.

I was never very well-informed on Islam. I was under the general assumption that they were all crazy and, by definition, wanted to kill westerners and Christians. To my understanding, this hatred and violence that we see in Muslims is all dependent on their education. Three Cups of Tea kept me well-informed and educated me on the culture of the region while continuing to tell Greg's story. Good stuff.

David Relin also did his best to give readers an idea of middle-eastern lifestyle. Their beliefs, trades, hobbies, houses, etc. were all presented to me in a believable fashion. Learning about the people Greg was working with made the book a bit more interesting and fulfilling.

Obviously, this is one of the more inspiring stories around. One man with an average income, no house, and an old Buick, was able to dramatically change an entire region through hard work and determination. What could possibly be more inspiring? Greg's story shows that all it takes to change the world is a dream. I think that's what he had in mind for Three Cups of Tea.

I don't have much to complain about after finishing this book. The only thing that comes to mind is the way the author italicized foreign words without explaining their meaning. Sure, some of the words he wrote were explained, but several others were left without explanation. This isn't a huge problem, but slightly irritating sometimes.

Anybody who wants to "get to know" Greg a little more should search his name on Youtube.com. There are several interesting interviews like the one played in class a few weeks ago.