Helena Independent (
Required reading: Three Cups of Tea
By Alana Listoe - IR Staff Writer
Knight was one of 300 incoming freshmen at
The assignment is part of alpha seminar, a required course
for all freshmen in their first semester. On Sunday afternoon the small classes
gathered all over campus to discuss the book.
Some students said it was hard to put down once they got
reading while others said it was hard to read because it was poorly written.
“The main idea is when they come to Carroll they already
have something very specific in common with other students, and it also
connects them with a primary goal at Carroll to encourage
students to read and talk about books,” says English professor Kay Satre.
“Three Cups of Tea” is a true story about one man’s drive to
make the world a better place. Humanitarian Greg Mortenson and journalist David
Oliver Relin recount the journey that led Mortenson from a failed attempt to
climb the mountain
Tiara Sewell, a chemistry major and returning student, is
reading the book for the second time.
Sewell likes how the book allows readers to “see someone so
ordinary” take on big tasks.
“He gave up so much and took it upon himself because he
wanted to make a difference in the kids’ lives,” she said.
Sewell said reading the book has made her realize that one
person can change the lives of others.
Satre says the book is about an incredible example of an
individual’s willingness to try to make a difference in the lives of other
people in the world.
“It’s a model of how you have to learn about another culture
by learning the languages and how to just become a helper within a culture,
networking with the people and learning about who they are,” she said. “He has
to yield to his own specific plans in order to really be effective.”
She describes the book as a positive story about people and
in region where daily messages are mostly about devastation. She says it is
timely and hopes it provides some optimism for students.
“The way you interact positively with another culture is a
really positive message for our students as we are growing up with an
increasingly global environment,” says Satre. “It provides an incredible source
of information about the region of the world we hear so much about in the media
and challenges the simplistic and negative stereotypes.”
Author will speak
Greg Mortenson, co-author of “Three Cups of Tea”, is
scheduled to speak at
Book Discussion Groups about “Three Cups of Tea” are
scheduled throughout September and co-sponsored by
Lewis and Clark Library n Sept. 4 and 6 at
http://www.helenair.com/articles/2007/08/27/helena_top/a01082707_01.txt
(c) 2007 Helena Independent. All Rights Reserved. Used With
Permission.