Scan barcode
abbywebb's review
2.0
Greg Mortenson has an inspiring story to tell about working in Pakistan, building schools in poor, remote areas of the country. He has even begun to build schools in Afghanistan post-9/11, during a politically unstable time for Americans in Afghanistan.
Unfortunately, Mortenson either doesn't have great writing skills or he could not afford the time to write his story on paper, so he enlisted in the help of David Oliver Relin. Relin's writing takes away from the feeling of the book (or what it could have or should have been), either being too wordy or providing way too many insignificant details.
As long as the reader can see beyond the words on the page, he or she will uncover a brilliant tale of a selfless individual. I can imagine many Americans did not approve of or understand Mortenson's motivation to work in the middle East helping Muslims - particularly after 9/11. (I attribute this to the massive amount of hate mail Mortenson received during this time.) Nonetheless, he has accomplished many feats that the greater North American population can only strive to do, all the while helping people on either side of the Atlantic Ocean.
NB: I am pleased to say that I (finally) finished this book only an hour before my first class of the fall semester began, allowing me to officially classify it as being read in Summer 2009.
Unfortunately, Mortenson either doesn't have great writing skills or he could not afford the time to write his story on paper, so he enlisted in the help of David Oliver Relin. Relin's writing takes away from the feeling of the book (or what it could have or should have been), either being too wordy or providing way too many insignificant details.
As long as the reader can see beyond the words on the page, he or she will uncover a brilliant tale of a selfless individual. I can imagine many Americans did not approve of or understand Mortenson's motivation to work in the middle East helping Muslims - particularly after 9/11. (I attribute this to the massive amount of hate mail Mortenson received during this time.) Nonetheless, he has accomplished many feats that the greater North American population can only strive to do, all the while helping people on either side of the Atlantic Ocean.
NB: I am pleased to say that I (finally) finished this book only an hour before my first class of the fall semester began, allowing me to officially classify it as being read in Summer 2009.
sohare01's review
4.0
Great story of how one person can make huge changes in the lives of others just by getting out of his comfort zone.
danib11's review
4.0
A similar idea to Mountains Beyond Mountains...one man doing what he can. This time the man is building schools in Pakistan. Great read!
dragonlady60's review
5.0
An amazing book! Everyone should read about the power of one man's quest to bring education to children. Children who have never held a book, been in a classroom, or seen the possibilities of the bigger world around them.
oceanday8's review
3.0
I appreciated gaining a new (for me) perspective on Pakistan and truly admire the work of Greg Morteson and what he's working to accomplish. So, I guess I should say that I really enjoyed the story the author was trying to tell, I just didn't love the way he told it. I would definitely recommend reading this book, just don't expect miraculous writing.
book_concierge's review
3.0
The writing isn't great, but the story is VERY interesting. I thought the author came across as self-centered and somewhat selfish, but perhaps that is the fault of the writing. Still, he has accomplished SO much, and I really like his message.
abaugher's review
4.0
I'm actually listening to it on CD. i don't really differentiate between book and audio unless there ends up being a noticeable benefit of one format over the other--the pronunciation of the Pakistani names is useful.
jesslolsen's review
3.0
The things I liked most about this book was 1) It gave me a view into the lives of those in Pakistan and Afghanistan, and 2) I got to read about someone who was so dedicated to helping the women and communities that the rest of the world didn't think about.
It sounds like a massive task that Mortenson had taken on, and good on him for doing it (although his wife must be an absolute saint, because I can't imagine me being so understanding about my husband leaving me alone with 2 children for so long!)
There were a few slow parts in this book, but it was worth pushing through them to the end - although there is definitely a big blank at the end where a second book could continue on with the next stages of his work.
I wish the Central Asia Institute all the nest with their work and hope they continue on helping educate women for many years to come.
It sounds like a massive task that Mortenson had taken on, and good on him for doing it (although his wife must be an absolute saint, because I can't imagine me being so understanding about my husband leaving me alone with 2 children for so long!)
There were a few slow parts in this book, but it was worth pushing through them to the end - although there is definitely a big blank at the end where a second book could continue on with the next stages of his work.
I wish the Central Asia Institute all the nest with their work and hope they continue on helping educate women for many years to come.