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316 reviews for:
Three Cups of Deceit: How Greg Mortenson, Humanitarian Hero, Lost His Way
Jon Krakauer
3.67 AVERAGE
316 reviews for:
Three Cups of Deceit: How Greg Mortenson, Humanitarian Hero, Lost His Way
Jon Krakauer
3.67 AVERAGE
Needless to say another straight banger from Mr. Krakauer. Grifting on the war on terror is wild.
"With one hand Greg created something potentially beautiful and caring (regardless of his motives). With the other he has murdered his creation by his duplicity." -Tom Hornbein
When I first read Three Cups of Tea, I, like many many other people, loved the story and message and viewed Greg as a "hero" of types for performing the work that he did. However, just as some of it seemed too good (or crazy) to be true, Krakauer's enlightening work shows that is exactly right. It's undeniable that Greg has done good work, and maybe his overall vision is still admirable, but his blatant lies and especially his misappropriation and misuse of millions of dollars worth of charitable funds is reprehensible, and there is a plethora of arguments against his accountability and trustworthiness. That being said, I don't want to 100% dismiss every single thing about Mortenson and his work, but my image of him, his intentions, and even what he has supposedly accomplished is definitely tainted. Unless there are some drastic changes, he's definitely not someone I would put my trust, or money, toward. I'm glad this was all brought to light.
When I first read Three Cups of Tea, I, like many many other people, loved the story and message and viewed Greg as a "hero" of types for performing the work that he did. However, just as some of it seemed too good (or crazy) to be true, Krakauer's enlightening work shows that is exactly right. It's undeniable that Greg has done good work, and maybe his overall vision is still admirable, but his blatant lies and especially his misappropriation and misuse of millions of dollars worth of charitable funds is reprehensible, and there is a plethora of arguments against his accountability and trustworthiness. That being said, I don't want to 100% dismiss every single thing about Mortenson and his work, but my image of him, his intentions, and even what he has supposedly accomplished is definitely tainted. Unless there are some drastic changes, he's definitely not someone I would put my trust, or money, toward. I'm glad this was all brought to light.
informative
fast-paced
I did read Mortenson's book and like others I believed it all. I believed James Frey too when I read A Million Little Pieces. That bothered me almost none, but this one is a different story. Mortenson collects millions for his charity and more of gets misappropriated than gets spent on educating children. I had heard that Mortenson was a bit of an exaggerator; now I know he's an outright liar. This exposé is an important read.
I never read Mortenson's books and I don't think I will. Reader reviews of Three Cups of Tea have convinced me that it is severely lacking as a literary work. Krakauer has convinced me that Mortenson is, at best, a massively self-deluded attention seeker and at worst, an egomaniacal con artist. Reading this in October, 2020, he reminds me of a certain prominent figure.
I really would have liked to have learned a bit more about Mortenson's earlier years from friends, classmates, teachers, but I suppose that's beyond the scope of Krakauer's piece.
A few thoughts I had reading this book and criticisms of it:
-It's a hit piece and was absolutely written by a person with an ax to grind. But although anger is not the best place from which to start a journalistic project, Krakauer's book was not meant to be the definitive history of the subject. It was supposed to draw attention to a problem. It did.
-I am so glad we are becoming more savvy about the charities to which we donate, although people are still conned with depressing frequency. I hope nonprofits are also becoming better at transparency and planning, although I imagine this will remain hit and miss.
-If Mortenson's primary goal had been to help educate kids in rural Pakistan, he would not have fabricated all this bullshit to help sell his story. To be perfectly clear--a lot of the stories were not embellishment, they were complete bullshit. I have a real problem with blurring the lines between autobiography and fiction to use as a fucking fundraising tool. That's what charlatans do. "They never claimed it was true" is the most weak-sauce argument you could come up with. They also never revealed it was propaganda. If your own truth isn't interesting or exciting enough to sell books and raise money, well, find a partner whose story is compelling enough. Especially for a charity... if you're tapping into people's earnest desires to do good, they deserve the truth, not a novel... and they'll turn on you if they realize you've been recounting a fiction designed to manipulate them. How could a person not realize this tactic is not sustainable? One deliberate "fiction" casts doubt on everything else you say, and worse, everything every other charity says. Worst of all, people on the ground in Pakistan were negatively affected by some of his claims.
-Furthermore, if helping people had been his primary objective--even if he had been a complete dumbass about money--he wouldn't have enriched himself to the tune of millions of dollars. It's right in the title: "nonprofit organization." He's entitled to a salary, but if you go into charity to get rich, it isn't a charity.
-Some people have said that his lies got people to donate to a good cause, so they were, on balance, okay. It makes me think of all the counterfeit relics of medieval Christendom. The thought among a lot of learned and devout people in those times was that if it makes believers feel all spiritual, it doesn't matter if it is a finger of a dead farmer from a couple towns over or if it's the digit of one of the apostles. I disagree with this point of view. When holy people lie to you--then tell you lying is a sin--what conclusion can you come to other than religion is a crock?
-We also don't know how good this cause actually was from this text: alas, Krakauer didn't/couldn't provide statistics about how many of these schools were in operation, how many students they served, etc. Hopefully CAI has cleaned up its act since Mortenson's departure.
-It seems quite clear that this was a poorly conceived operation and Mortenson never should have been the boss of anything.
I really would have liked to have learned a bit more about Mortenson's earlier years from friends, classmates, teachers, but I suppose that's beyond the scope of Krakauer's piece.
A few thoughts I had reading this book and criticisms of it:
-It's a hit piece and was absolutely written by a person with an ax to grind. But although anger is not the best place from which to start a journalistic project, Krakauer's book was not meant to be the definitive history of the subject. It was supposed to draw attention to a problem. It did.
-I am so glad we are becoming more savvy about the charities to which we donate, although people are still conned with depressing frequency. I hope nonprofits are also becoming better at transparency and planning, although I imagine this will remain hit and miss.
-If Mortenson's primary goal had been to help educate kids in rural Pakistan, he would not have fabricated all this bullshit to help sell his story. To be perfectly clear--a lot of the stories were not embellishment, they were complete bullshit. I have a real problem with blurring the lines between autobiography and fiction to use as a fucking fundraising tool. That's what charlatans do. "They never claimed it was true" is the most weak-sauce argument you could come up with. They also never revealed it was propaganda. If your own truth isn't interesting or exciting enough to sell books and raise money, well, find a partner whose story is compelling enough. Especially for a charity... if you're tapping into people's earnest desires to do good, they deserve the truth, not a novel... and they'll turn on you if they realize you've been recounting a fiction designed to manipulate them. How could a person not realize this tactic is not sustainable? One deliberate "fiction" casts doubt on everything else you say, and worse, everything every other charity says. Worst of all, people on the ground in Pakistan were negatively affected by some of his claims.
-Furthermore, if helping people had been his primary objective--even if he had been a complete dumbass about money--he wouldn't have enriched himself to the tune of millions of dollars. It's right in the title: "nonprofit organization." He's entitled to a salary, but if you go into charity to get rich, it isn't a charity.
-Some people have said that his lies got people to donate to a good cause, so they were, on balance, okay. It makes me think of all the counterfeit relics of medieval Christendom. The thought among a lot of learned and devout people in those times was that if it makes believers feel all spiritual, it doesn't matter if it is a finger of a dead farmer from a couple towns over or if it's the digit of one of the apostles. I disagree with this point of view. When holy people lie to you--then tell you lying is a sin--what conclusion can you come to other than religion is a crock?
-We also don't know how good this cause actually was from this text: alas, Krakauer didn't/couldn't provide statistics about how many of these schools were in operation, how many students they served, etc. Hopefully CAI has cleaned up its act since Mortenson's departure.
-It seems quite clear that this was a poorly conceived operation and Mortenson never should have been the boss of anything.
Years ago, Greg Mortenson's "Three Cups of Tea" caught my eye at a local bookstore. For whatever reason, I didn't pick it up despite the premise being thoroughly intriguing. How could I not love a book about a guy who spent a big chunk of his adult life building schools in Afghanistan in the hope that education would counter the tendency to become a militant terrorist? Many subsequent visits to the store had me wanting to but never pulling the trigger and buying it. Mortenson himself came to town to speak about his experiences as part of a book reading challenge. But I still never read it.
A few years later, the proverbial "fit hit the shan" when it was discovered that Mortenson wasn't entirely honest in his book. I was happy I didn't read it as a result. What I didn't know was that the battle cry was being lead by author Jon Krakauer, an author I love. This year, I discovered this 100-page exposé and it's very damning.
Usually scandal regarding books doesn't bother me. I can still find something to appreciate about the source material. James Frey's "A Million Little Pieces" is still incredibly inspiring even if fabricated. But the difference between Frey and Mortenson is that Frey's lie doesn't hurt anyone but himself by my estimation.
Mortenson's lie has financial, educational, ethical, moral, and cultural implications and so many others. He misappropriated money, he lied about his treatment in Afghanistan leading to dishonor amongst those who took care of him with nothing but his health and safety in mind, he mistreated employees, he misled fans and the media, and he did it all for personal gain. Despicable.
This quick read lays it all bare and even though I know how it all turned out (the charges came out in 2011 and all was worked out last year), it's still incredibly fascinating to read as Krakauer picks apart the lies piece by piece.
With how poorly so many reporters and authors write in this day and age, I really respect the artistry of well-written, researched, and documented reports, articles, and books. This is my third Krakauer read and far from the last.
HIGHLY recommended.
A few years later, the proverbial "fit hit the shan" when it was discovered that Mortenson wasn't entirely honest in his book. I was happy I didn't read it as a result. What I didn't know was that the battle cry was being lead by author Jon Krakauer, an author I love. This year, I discovered this 100-page exposé and it's very damning.
Usually scandal regarding books doesn't bother me. I can still find something to appreciate about the source material. James Frey's "A Million Little Pieces" is still incredibly inspiring even if fabricated. But the difference between Frey and Mortenson is that Frey's lie doesn't hurt anyone but himself by my estimation.
Mortenson's lie has financial, educational, ethical, moral, and cultural implications and so many others. He misappropriated money, he lied about his treatment in Afghanistan leading to dishonor amongst those who took care of him with nothing but his health and safety in mind, he mistreated employees, he misled fans and the media, and he did it all for personal gain. Despicable.
This quick read lays it all bare and even though I know how it all turned out (the charges came out in 2011 and all was worked out last year), it's still incredibly fascinating to read as Krakauer picks apart the lies piece by piece.
With how poorly so many reporters and authors write in this day and age, I really respect the artistry of well-written, researched, and documented reports, articles, and books. This is my third Krakauer read and far from the last.
HIGHLY recommended.
informative
fast-paced
This was a hard one for me. It is a well written book and seems to be well researched, but I can't love it because of the subject. I want Greg Mortenson to be everything he claims to be. I want CAI to be doing everything it claims to be doing. It's a bit heartbreaking that it just doesn't seem to be true. Krakauer points out that Greg and CAI have still done great things, but that it is being mismanaged and is ineffective at times - building schools that are never used. It made me sad that I had my sister buy me stones into schools in hardback for christmas. Like many others, I'm sure, I ended up feeling betrayed. So I can only say I liked the book. Though I would highly recommend it to everyone. And will have to see if I can get my book club to read it since we are also reading Three Cups of Tee...