Welcome your book club by cooking and serving some examples of Pakistani foods and, of course, tea. Look to the book for inspiration. For example, at one point, Greg Mortenson recounts how he eats a simple meal of chapati, which is a tortilla or pita-like bread made from flour, water and a little oil. Serve the tea and discuss the ritual of drinking three cups of tea during a negotiation, as described in the book.
In "Three Cups of Tea," Greg Mortenson describes living in his car to raise the money he needed for his first promised school. Over the course of the book, he must face many other challenges, including raising more money and overcoming cultural differences. Ask your book club members to think of something that they have always considered doing that may be challenging but would benefit others, such as participating in a long-distance walk for cancer. Talk about the ideas and even consider actually undertaking one of these challenges.
As an accompaniment to "Three Cups of Tea," ask your book club to read author Jon Krakauer's 2011 expose on Greg Mortenson and his nonprofit organization, the Central Asia Institute – "Three Cups of Deceit: How Greg Mortenson, Humanitarian Hero, Lost His Way." After reading both, club members can discuss how they felt about Greg Mortenson and the Central Asia Institute both before and after reading the Krakauer expose, which is available through Amazon.com. Club members can also discuss whether they believe what Krakauer has written or if they feel he has his own credibility issues, and whether or not they still feel the Central Asia Institute is a worthy organization.
Book club members can discuss how they perceived Pakistan and its people before and after reading "Three Cups of Tea." Because of the war on terrorism, Pakistan is frequently in the news, so club members should be encouraged to bring current event articles to the discussion. Talk about how the news and the events of September 11, 2001, may have colored their original views of Pakistan and Afghanistan, and then discuss whether "Three Cups of Tea" has changed any of their perceptions of this country and its inhabitants.