Book Review: Stones Into Schools

This week, I'm reviewing "Stones Into Schools" by Greg Mortenson (the author of Three Cups of Tea) - a book about promoting education, particularly for girls, in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Greg founded the organization the Central Asia Institute (CAI) which raises money to build schools for girls and literary centers for women in Central Asia, in some of the most remote and isolated places on earth. I am a big supporter of this organization! If you haven't read Three Cups of Tea yet (it's been on the New York Times bestseller list for 180 weeks), I would highly highly recommend it.

Stones into Schools: Promoting Peace with Books, Not Bombs, in Afghanistan and Pakistan by Greg Mortenson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Three Cups of Tea is a book that meant a lot to me- not only was it the most inspiring book I had ever read, but it made me really consider how much I value education and how much I feel we take it for granted. I have since donated money to CAI every year, and I will continue to do so.

This book is the follow-up, and though I was worried it could only fall flat after Three Cups, I'm happy to say that I thoroughly enjoyed it. It wasn't just a listing of all the accomplishments that CAI has made in the last few years, though there seemed to be plenty; it also showed what price has been paid to achieve all their success. I was fascinated to see how Greg went from a central figure in the process of creating these schools, to turning over those responsibilities to people who live there- and his feelings about that:

"What the Kirghiz needed was something infinitely more precious than whatever assistance might have been rendered by me, the American military, or anyone else who was not part of their community. In place of our help, what they needed most was the sense of empowerment that comes from knowing that they had done it on their own."

He's clearly hopeful that he's creating something that can be sustained in the future within Pakistan and Afghanistan, yet sad that he's no longer able to participate directly as much as he did originally (though his tour and fundraising schedule is certainly not to be envied).

Like Three Cups of Tea, this book is really about hope, and the changes we as individuals and society can make if we get to the root of problems rather than just fighting about them. I really love the emphasis that Greg and CAI place on girls' education in particular. I'm happy to hear that the US military is noticing the benefits of their efforts (though I fear that too much military involvement could be detrimental to CAI).

Overall, I still find this ongoing tale to be one of the most touching and hopeful stories I have ever heard about. I hope that this organization can continue to do great work, and that we really can continue to promote peace with education and tolerance.

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