Three Cups of Tea

I first heard of Three Cups of Tea through a recommendation on Amazon and was hooked by the review's first line: "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."

The review describes how the nurse, Greg Mortenson, was cared for by Balti villagers, and, moved by their kindness in the midst of great poverty, promised to build them a school. It is the story of the challenges and dangers he faced as he strove to fulfill the promise and the decade-long crusade that sprang from a perceived failure.

I put the book on my BookMooch wish list for a later date (bestsellers aren't usually available on the fantastic book-swapping site for a long time). But, when I visited a friend's house the next day, I saw it on her coffee table. Intrigued by its second appearance in my life in just two days, I read the introduction to the first chapter: "Failure: When it is dark enough, you can see the stars."

I've only reluctantly put it down a few times since.