Justice July – Three Cups of Tea

A change of pace from Joking June to  Justice July, books about standing up for your rights and those written to raise awareness about important social issues.  This month is going to be wide ranging –

Firstly, Three Cups of Tea about one man’s work to provide education in Pakistan and Afghanistan

Then, refugee fiction (including Deborah Ellis)

Next, fiction concerned with racism (The Help)

Possibly, a novel about the plight of homeless young people

Finishing with more adventurous and fantastical fight for justice books.

Three cups of tea,  Young Readers Edition 

I had seen this book many times in my school library but hadn’t got around to looking at it, I wish I had and that I had talked to students about it.  It is about the inspirational story of Greg Mortenson, who having been lost in the Himalayas finds himself in a village without a school, a doctor or even a bridge. Thankful for the kindness of the villages, Greg promises to return to build a school. So starts an extraordinary journey of a man who ends up being responsible for building many schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan. The young readers’ edition has a glossary, maps, photos, a timeline and more which helps the reader understand a country with which they are unlikely to be familiar.  The story moves quickly and the message of justice, that all children are entitled to an education, is clear but not bashed on the reader.  An inspirational start.