Greg Mortenson

I knew there was some controversy about this book - I decided to read most of it before I looked it up. It’s a story about perseverance and cultural exchange that’s fun to read and hopeful at its best but it does seem idealized and too good to be true. David Oliver Relin was a journalist who interviewed and spent time with Greg Mortensen and did a lot of follow up interviews with colleagues and participants in both the states and Pakistan. He says himself in his intro that he was swept up in Mortensen’s orbit and didn’t write a standard journalistic account. He was inspired and pulling for Mortensen’s success. He crafted a beautiful story that became a bestseller. Later Mortensen was accused of using donated money to promote the book and maybe some other misappropriations. There was an expose on 60 Minutes. Relin fell into depression and ended up committing suicide. Knowing this, the story becomes very sad. Good intentions by both men gone off track.… (mer)