Warwick Books book group meeting 19th May 2010.
The group met at the Punchbowl in Warwick & thank you again to Angie for letting us use the space –it is a very congenial atmosphere and nice to have our chat over a drink! We convene at around 6.00pm and usually finish at about 7.00pm.
The book we had read this month was “Three Cups of Tea” by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin. This is the fascinating and inspirational story of Greg Mortenson who has spent fifteen years single mindedly & almost single handedly building schools in rural Pakistan and Afghanistan. Completely outside the mold we think of as typically American, Mortenson has been through many trials and tribulations in his quest to improve education particularly for girls in this difficult and often isolated part of the world. He started off particularly naively trusting almost everyone, unable to use a computer and assuming everyone wanted the same things he was seeking. As he has become older and wiser, he remains “Dr Greg” to his many fans in the area (he is a qualified nurse, but not a doctor), loved and revered, but sadly also hated and distrusted by a few. His quest to improve the education of children in this area continues, and he firmly believes that the way to peace and understanding is through learning. Everyone in the group found the story fascinating and inspirational & we have nothing but admiration for Mortenson. Some found the tone of the narration (by Relin) slightly irritating, but nevertheless there is no hesitaion in recommending this book. We are looking forward to reading the follow-up book, “Stones into Schools” which has just been published in paperback.
For our next meeting on Wednesday June 23rd, we are reading “The Glass Room” by Simon Mawer. This novel was shortlisted for the Man Booker prize. Inspired by a real “modernist” house, the book traces the stories of the various inhabitants over the years as the house changes from Czech to Russian hands.
We will be meeting at 6.0pm in the PunchBowl pub, and I have asked participants to come with some ideas for future reading – individual titles and also themes we could follow. If you haven’t joined us before & want to come along, just contact Frances at Kenilworth Books a few days before the meeting.
