From Publishers Weekly:

Some failures lead to phenomenal successes, and this American nurse's unsuccessful attempt to climb K2, the world's second tallest mountain, is one of them. Dangerously ill when he finished his climb in 1993, Mortenson was sheltered for seven weeks by the small Pakistani village of Korphe; in return, he promised to build the impoverished town's first school, a project that grew into the Central Asia Institute, which has since constructed more than 50 schools across rural Pakistan and Afghanistan. Coauthor Relin recounts Mortenson's efforts in fascinating detail, presenting compelling portraits of the village elders, con artists, philanthropists, mujahideen, Taliban officials, ambitious school girls and upright Muslims Mortenson met along the way. As the book moves into the post-9/11 world, Mortenson and Relin argue that the United States must fight Islamic extremism in the region through collaborative efforts to alleviate poverty and improve access to education, especially for girls. Captivating and suspenseful, with engrossing accounts of both hostilities and unlikely friendships, this book will win many readers' hearts.
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Without a doubt, the best book I have read all year!!! The prose wasn't earth shattering and some situations seemed a bit melodramatic or contrived, but this book really spoke to me. It's not something I would have probably chosen to read, but the City of Cambridge chose it for the "Cambridge Reads" book this year. The author will even be coming to Cambridge to speak. My book group also chose it and I am so glad they did. I plan to donate money to the charity, as well as, buy additional copies of this book to wild release. I cannot think of another book that has touched me quite so strongly in a very long time.

RELEASE NOTES:

Released at the December 2007 Boston Bookcrossing meeting.

A moving tale of upliftment, brought about by the grit and determination of one man - A mountaineer who took the blank canvas of a remote community, and painted literacy on to it.
Very readable. And a reiteration of how elementary skills, taught with care make all the difference. Statistics from different parts of the world have consistently shown that when literacy, and specially female literacy, rises towards 100%, social changes inevitably set in. Not the least of which is zero population growth.
I enjoyed reading this book. Thank you.

Caught at the Bookcrossing Meetup at the Algiers Coffeehouse. This book has been attracting me at bookstores for quite some time. I love the Meetup, it's like Christmas and I get all these gifts!

If only more Americans could respect other cultures as well as Mortenson does. His respect extends to individuals and to entire cultures. It is inspirational what he accomplished in the lives of hundreds of children by following his heart.

I will bring this book to the February 12th Bookcrossers Meetup.

Picked up at February Boston MeetUp

I really enjoyed the story of Greg Mortensen and his mission to build schools in Pakistan. I had some troubles with the style of the book, which read like a series of magazine articles but I liked when it got into the details of the schools and Greg's travels. I can see how he would be both an inspiring and exasperating person!

RELEASE NOTES:

Planned for release at May Boston BookCrossing Meetup

Picked this up at the last bookcrossing meetup. I got this book out of the library a few months ago, loved it so much I passed it along to my mother and a co-worker, before I had to return it a few days late. Looking forward to passing it along to a few more people, without worrying about pesky things like due dates. Thanks so much!

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

Really enjoyed this book immensely, so was very excited to get the chance to pass it along through BookCrossing. Enjoy!

Received book from Stormysweetie. Was about to pass it along without reading, but saw people's entries. I usually have the same taste in books as Stormysweetie, so will add this book to my growing pile of "To Read".