Greg Mortenson, author of Three Cups of Tea, is coming to Vancouver for 3 days in January. Organised by Kidsbooks, Vancouver’s premier children’s bookstore, adults and students are invited to attend one of three presentations, signings and fund-raisers to show their support for Greg’s remarkable achievements in making education a reality for so many children in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Although the session on Friday January 14 is sold-out, there is still space available to attend the January 15th or 16th sessions. Ticket prices include a $10 donation to Greg’s non-profit charity Central Asia Institute, and, for adults, a copy of his new adult book Stones Into Schools. Stones into Schools continues the remarkable story of Greg’s international bestseller Three Cups of Tea and brings to life both the heroic humanitarian efforts on the ground and the triumphs of the young women who are now graduating from schools built by Pennies for Peace.
Greg’s book Three Cups of Tea is a favorite in our house: we have all three versions – adult, young adult and children’s! I’m looking forward to attending one of the sessions along with my two children who will be receiving their tickets as a Christmas gift and I’m sure they will be thrilled as well!
This year for the first time, PaperTigers was invited to submit nominations for the prestigious Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award (winner to be announced March 24th, 2010) and one of our nominees was Greg Mortenson. In our “Grounds for Nomination” statement we stated:
Greg Mortenson is a humanitarian whose motto is “Books, not Bombs.” Since 1993 he has been committed to promoting and supporting education and literacy (with an emphasis on girls’ education) in rural, underserved regions of Pakistan and Afghanistan. Through his work as co-founder/Executive Director of the Central Asia Institute, as of May 2009, he has established over 78 schools, supported the training of 600+ teachers and offered scholarships to hundreds of disadvantaged students, thus providing education to over 28,000 children (including 18,000 girls) who would otherwise have no opportunities.
Greg Mortenson is also founder of the Pennies For Peace program and author of the Kiriyama Prize-winning book Three Cups of Tea, which has been translated into 29 languages. It has been adapted into a version for young adults and a beautiful picture-book, Listen to the Wind, illustrated with wonderful collages by Susan L. Roth.
Greg Mortenson, author of Three Cups of Tea and Stones Into Schools, recently held 3 speaking engagements in Vancouver, BC. Reporter Rebecca Wigod’s claim that Greg draws crowds like a rock star is definitely true as the 4,000 available tickets sold out in record time! I was one of the many disappointed ones to not get a ticket but several of my friends attended and all raved about their experiences. Children’s author Margriet Ruurs was also lucky enough to get a ticket and had this photo to share along with these thoughts:
