Carson library encourages all ages to read ‘Three Cups of Tea'

As part of his fifth-grade reading group, Austin Tucker is joining the community in reading “Three Cups of Tea.”

“It kind of makes me think, cherish everything you have because other people don't have it,” he said. “Don't just have everything and take it for granted.”

The 11-year-old Seeliger Elementary School student is on the right track, said Carson City Library Director Sara Jones.

The library is sponsoring a citywide initiative, Capital City Reads, to encourage everyone in the community to read “Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace One School at a Time.”

The book, written by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin, chronicles Mortenson's unsuccessful attempt to summit Pakistan's K2, which led him to the tiny village of Korphe where the people nursed him back to health.

While there, he met a group of children sitting in the dirt writing with sticks in the sand, and made a promise to help them build a school.

He made good on that promise and has since established more than 100 schools in rural and often volatile regions of Pakistan and Afghanistan, mostly focusing on educating girls.

He has since established the nonprofit Central Asia Institute to fund construction of schools and set up Pennies for Peace as a way schoolchildren can help in the effort.

“Three Cups of Tea” has also become required reading for U.S. senior military commanders.

After reading the book multiple times, Carson City resident Ed Skudlarek became invigorated by the idea that non-governmental organizations “promoting education and human rights present a practical and humane alternative to war.”

That sentiment was echoed by 8-year-old Nick Reul, whose third-grade teachers Debbie Mariskanish and Kathy Rothschild are reading the youth version of the book aloud to the class.

“They're already trying to settle wars by fighting, and that's not going to settle anything,” he concluded.

Jones said the timeliness of the subject was one of the reasons the book was chosen, in hopes that it would inspire a discussion among community members.

“No matter what they believe, hopefully people can sit down and talk to each other,” she said.

Beyond the theme of the book, she said, each reader can find a personal meaning.

“I keep returning to the message that he was just a guy trying to climb a mountain,” Jones said. “He's just a regular man doing extraordinary things. It's uplifting to know everyday people can make this kind of difference.”

After reading the book as part of her book group, Gina Heinz said she felt a personal desire to affect change in the world.

“My husband and I talk about it all the time,” she said. “I would love to make a difference like (Mortenson) made a difference. I don't know anyone who wouldn't.”

However, finding a way to do that can be hard, she said, with three kids in college and a full-time job.

More about Capital City Reads What is Capital City Reads? Capital City Reads is a citywide initiative to encourage everyone to read Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin's best-selling book, “Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace One School at a Time.” It will kick off Tuesday and run through April 13. Andrea Moore, the library's programming outreach coordinator, said the reading project can help unite the community. “To do a community read is an active engagement of a civic discussion,” Moore said. “You can really start to create a shared experience and get a dialog going. It's like one big book club.” The project is made possible by a grant from the U.S. Institute of Museums and Library Services. Other sponsors include the Nevada Appeal, Carson Nugget and Casino Fandango. Why “Three Cups of Tea”? Sara Jones, director of the Carson City Library, said this book was chosen for three reasons. The first is the timeliness and relevance of the message. The second is accessibility. “Three Cups of Tea” is also written in a young adult and children's version to make it understandable at any age. The third advantage, Jones said, is the adventure-type storytelling. She said she hoped the action would draw young men, a demographic that is less likely to participate. What else is planned? The highlight of Capital City Reads “Three Cups of Tea” is Greg Mortenson's sold-out appearance in Carson City on March 9. Moore encouraged community members to continue reading the book — or his newer release, “Stones into Schools: Promoting Peace with Books, Not Bombs, in Afghanistan and Pakistan” — even if they don't have a ticket to see Mortenson. “The message in his book is bigger than his appearance,” Moore said. “It's about the value of education and what it can do for communities and cultures.” Each Tuesday, the library will host a related event to help bring awareness and understanding to Carson City.

“I'd just like to do something on a grander scale.”

At the very least, she said, reading about the conditions in Pakistan gave her a greater appreciation for what she has.

“I was just amazed at the kids doing their homework with sticks in the sand. They craved education,” she said. “We are so lucky to live in this country.”

The importance of education was emphasized to Lorie Schaefer, a former teacher who still substitutes in the classroom.

“They want for their children much of the same things we want for our children,” she said. “They want their babies not to die, and they want their children to go to school. That's pretty basic.”

She said she recognized the power of education, as Mortenson told of children showing up for lessons even when the teacher did not. How he found that in educating girls, an entire community benefited as they shared their knowledge with their mothers and eventually with their own children.

It was a message that resonated with her, said Schaefer, who spent most of her career teaching remedial reading.

“It's probably one of the reasons I still go back,” she said. “I can't think of a better, more worthwhile career. Little miracles happen every day.

“All dreams start here.”

Capital City Reads event All programs begin at 6:30 p.m. with seating on a first-come basis. Rick Gunn: Soul Cycler: The Man Who Rode a Bicycle Around the World — A multimedia presentation WHEN: Tuesday WHERE: Galaxy Theatre, 4000 S. Curry St. Toni Neubauer: “War, Development and Libraries” WHEN: Feb. 16 WHERE: Carson City Library, 900 N. Roop St. Todd Offenbacher: A mountain climber's “Return to Pakistan” slide presentation WHEN: Feb. 23 WHERE: Carson City Library, 900 N. Roop St. Ruth Anne Kocour: Author, adventurer and photographer WHEN: March 2 WHERE: Carson City Library, 900 N. Roop St. Sara Jones: Carson City Library director WHAT: “Three Cups of Tea” book discussion WHEN: March 16 WHERE: Carson City Library, 900 N. Roop St. Sara Jones: Carson City Library director WHAT: “Stones into Schools” book discussion WHEN: March 23 WHERE: Carson City Library, 900 N. Roop St. Carson Montessori School: A re-enactment WHEN: March 30 WHERE: Carson City Library, 900 N. Roop St. Judith Frey: “The Silk Road: Music, Art and Poetry from Istanbul to Samarqand” WHEN: April 6 WHERE: Carson City Library, 900 N. Roop St.