Ruth Pederson Book Talk

THREE CUPS OF TEA
A Community Reading Program Sponsored by the

AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF UNIVERSITY WOMEN
FREMONT, CA

Ruth Pederson Book Talk Focuses on Three Cups of Tea.
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" I think this is the best book I ever read," said one of the participants at the Ruth Pederson discussion session held at the Fremont Main Library on September 17 from 9:30 to 11:30 am. The group of seniors meets weekly to discuss books and life. They review a book a month. September's choice was Three Cups of Tea. The group is called the Ruth Pederson Book Talk as a tribute memorial to the former AAUW president who started it some 18 years ago. Carolyn Johnston, a member of the seniors group, opened the discussion with information on how Three Cups of Tea got started. Carolyn is treasurer for the Pennies for Peace portion of the program and explained that over 20 elementary schools were signed up to bring in pennies for the Central Asian Institute fundraising organization.
She announced, too, that the Bank of the West had volunteered to process pennies for the program. "They'll supply us with bags and when they're filled they will weigh 29 to 32 pounds which equals about $50. They've ordered 200 bags," said Carolyn.
Colleen Marron also of AAUW spearheaded the discussion. She gave the background of little known co-author David Oliver Relin and handed out 20 reviews of the book, all very favorable. It has been on the non-fiction paperback best seller list for over a year. There was a consensus that Greg has done things in a way that was not typical of how Americans usually work in foreign countries. "He actually found out what people needed and wanted and involved them in building the school – – and even a bridge – – in Korphe, Pakistan," said one of the seniors. "Most Americans," added Colleen, "are guilty of making snap judgments but Greg was patient and persistent and got to know the personalities and culture of the Pakistanis and Afghans." The ladies at the book talk thought that Greg's wife must be an angel since he's gone so much and she's raising the children. "His wife," added one of the attendees, "has a background of mountain climbing so it seems she understands what takes him away." Many of the book's readers were very impressed with how much the girls wanted to learn. "Trying to write in the dirt with a stick and under bad weather conditions -- that shows such a burning desire to learn," said one of the participants. The question that is not answered in the book and that the group would like to ask Greg when he comes to Fremont on March 3, 2009 is: What happened to his sister Crista's necklace? She died before Greg went on his climb. Mortenson took the necklace to place on the summit of K2 but didn't make it there. Two videos were shown that highlighted the Pennies for Peace program. One of the videos starred Mortenson's ll-year-old daughter Amira who sings the Three Cups of Tea song that helps make the DVD so moving. As Greg says in one of the DVDs "building schools is the surest way of changing the world." Several Afghan gentlemen were there to give that country's point of view and talk about the book. Dr. Mohammad Khamosh, president of Ibraham Islamic Center mosque on Osgoode in Fremont, spoke about the book and Mortenson's work. "If there were Mortensons around the world to help people there would be no war. The first thing for peace is education," he said. He talked about the current population explosion in Afghanistan and the difficulty of producing enough food for the people. "Education is not something people can afford because just making it from day to day is so hard," he explained. "Education is the light," he concluded, "and so many are groping in the dark to learn."
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