FLR: You have proven your own artistic gifts with your adult novel, Three Cups of Tea: One Man’s Mission to Promote Peace…One School at a Time, Three Cups of Tea Young Readers Edition and Listen to the Wind. How do creative elements between the picture book, the middle-grade novel, and the adult novel differ? What will appeal to each of your different audiences?

GM: Three cups of tea is what each book shares in common. I think the common thread between all of the books is about building relationships and, obviously, tea drinking. A village chief explained to me what ‘Three Cups of Tea’ means. If a person wants to conduct business in Pakistan you have to drink three cups of tea. The first cup you’re a stranger, the second cup you become a friend and the third cup you become family.

What has been so amazing and inspiring is this theme has resonated throughout the American public, both liberals, conservatives, Christians, Muslims, Hindus, Jews, Agnostics, all socio-economic backgrounds. General Petraeus sent me an e-mail last Summer saying that he had read Three Cups of Tea and he had three bullet points that he had gleaned from the book; being a general he used bullet points! Number one if we really want to succeed we need to build relationships, we really need to listen and number three we need to have respect and humility. We’re there to be of service to the people there.

The adult book was written in third person. I lived there, told the story and the book was written. What has been so exciting is that over 2 million copies of the adult book have been sold. Over 400 universities have used it campus-wide and 57 universities use it as a freshman or campus-wide read. I was in Houston, Texas three years ago and there was a fourth grade class struggling with the book. That’s when I talked to Penguin Young Readers Group explaining that there was a lot of interest in this subject matter at younger reading levels. So that led to the idea to create a middle grade book making it more accessible to young readers. Then a friend, Julia Bergman, a research librarian who just retired from the City College in San Francisco had a suggestion. She had a childhood friend named Susan Roth who had done 36 children’s books as a collage illustrator and we ended up deciding to do a picture book. Susan’s art was a perfect complement in telling the story. I have a pile of letters at home that have criticisms, complaints, phrases and suggestions for Three Cups of Tea.

So when we were creating Three Cups of Tea the young reader’s edition I went through those ostensibly and found there were some valid points. When we created the book we included a whole curriculum, what we call a ‘tool kit’ with more photos, diagrams, a glossary, a who’s who, a forward and an afterward and a special section about what kids can do. Adults hear about things and think about them but kids want to do something, which is why we included that section in the young reader’s edition. Our Pennies for Peace program was in 270 schools in 2007 and increased to 3200 schools by the beginning of this year. And we hope to get the children’s books in every single library in the United States, not so much because we want to sell the books but that we want to get the message out.

FLR: How much involvement did you have in the adaptation of Three Cups of Tea Young Readers Edition and Listen to the Wind? Was it difficult to decide which stories to include and how to present them?

GM: Penguin Books for Young Readers Group encouraged me to do things I hadn’t done before, very exciting and it was a lot of fun. It was like being in high school, staying up late, and working on a project. This was one of the most joyous projects that I’ve done in my life. It was a lot of fun working with the maps, diagrams and glossaries and the contents. I got to speak with a lot of teachers and librarians as well in terms of creating content and getting input as to what was relevant to include in these books.

FLR: The interview section with your daughter, Amira, in the young reader’s edition of Three Cups of Tea was wonderful, and I’m sure children will be fascinated by her stories. How have you encouraged Amira to be creative and express herself?

GM: Well Amira came out day one, out the hatch, born to achieve. She came out singing and talking she is very extraverted. When I was a boy in Africa our (me and my parents) favorite time of day was reading bedtime stories. And I do the same thing with my children. Also, every Saturday when I am home we go to libraries. The librarians have seen my kids since they were babies growing up. I have encouraged reading. Amira also loves to write, she has a journal and a diary, unlike me who does not keep any notes. I have this great quote in my home by Judith Campbell that says “When your heart speaks, take good notes” but I don’t take good notes.

FLR: You co-founded the Central Asia Institute (CAI), a non-profit organization that promotes and supports community-based education, particularly for girls, in the remote regions of Afghanistan and Pakistan. To what extent is artistic education and expression included in the CAI’s mission?

GM: I found that in some areas it worked. There is so much extreme poverty in Northeast Pakistan. Traditionally the people there were originally Buddhists and they converted to Islam during the Mogul insurgence in the late 1500’s. There was a lot of artistic work, if you look in the woodwork, a lot of imagery, But in the last century it was so difficult for them even to survive, not thrive. There is so little artwork. In about two thirds of our schools we do have art, watercolor and drawing. Kids from the United States wanted to give toys to kids over there but toys are not really appropriate. But we found art and crafts work, papier-mâché, art they can design locally.

Another thing that is unusual and I think very unique is that we have elders come in three times a week to the schools and do storytelling. One negative thing I think in literacy and education is that sometimes storytelling gets eradicated. We actually got inspired to do this in the U.S. I was in about 300 U.S. schools last year and I asked the students how many of you talk in great detail to your grandparents or your elders about World War II, Vietnam, the Great Depression, Civil Rights and so forth. About 10% of the schools I visited in the US said they did and in Pakistan it’s about 90%. I think storytelling gets eradicated at times although it’s not artistic it does encompass their folklore, their culture, their heritage, their tradition. We’ve found that storytelling continues to promote a very rich tradition among children in schools in Pakistan.

FLR: A portion of the sales of Listen to the Wind will go towards the CAI. Can you tell us what the CAI has accomplished and how much needs to be done? How about Pennies for Peace, a CAI program that promotes global peace?

GM: The hardcover adult book’s original subtitle was going to be One Man’s Vision to Fight Terrorism One School at a Time, (the young reader’s edition’s subtitle is One Man’s Journey to Change the World, One Child at a Time). I was actually opposed to that subtitle so we decided to change it to One Man’s Mission to Promote Peace One School at a Time. I think it really reflects the general learning curve or sentiment in the US. Fighting terrorism I think is facing fear but promoting peace is facing hope. The real enemy is ignorance. With Listen to the Wind I think that the theme in there is how children can be empowered. It delivers a powerful message about how much kids look up to going to school and how going to school really transforms their lives. The story is focused on the theme that education came and brought them life and brought them hope. And when I read it to kindergarteners and first-grade students they get the message and it really resonates with them. Plus Susan did an incredible and beautiful job illustrating it making the message that much stronger.

FLR: Urdu editions of the beautifully collage-illustrated Listen to the Wind: The Story of Dr. Greg & Three Cups of Tea have been sent to CAI schools. Were you involved in the translation process and can you speak, write, or read Urdu? To what extent were different languages a barrier toward working with other cultures?

GM: I can read and understand Urdu. I think what happens though in the Persian dialects is that people often speak in a proverbial sense, or in phrases or metaphors. English is actually more of a business language. The people in Pakistan are used to learning from ballads and very rich folklore. And English is sometimes difficult to transmit messages. But I think that in Urdu, in Listen to the Wind the message really goes beyond just the exact translation. To be honest, the translation isn’t really word-for-word but there are some metaphors and phrases included in order to make it more meaningful and put it in context. There is a barrier working with other cultures but I think that’s an easy one to overcome. I think what ultimately is a universal language is compassion, and I hate to say it, but love. And I think people respect things when they feel them.

When we work with a community we are not trying to impose our values, our beliefs, or our systems. We try to empower people themselves and teach them that this is their school and this is their program. And something we do, too, is to request that they get free land and free resources, free skilled laborers. I learned this from my father. When my Father opened a hospital in the 1940’s in Tanzania he made a speech and told the people that in 10 years all of the department heads of this hospital will be from your country, this is your hospital. And afterwards, Europeans and Americans who were listening asked how he could say such a thing. But even today in Tanzania where this hospital still stands, all of the department heads are from Tanzania. And in my children’s book’s we tried to give that sense to children that people can be empowered, and that we want to empower kids. Not that we are trying to tell them what to do or how to do it but to say, “Hey, you can do this, you can make a difference”. Part of the Pennies for Peace program and the wonderful tool kit is to really give kids control of their own projects, which has already inspired hundreds of kids throughout the country.

FLR: Listen to the Wind mentions Julia Bergman, a librarian, as having visited Pakistan. Has the CAI taken any action to get more books into the schools? Is there anything you can tell our readers if they want to be involved in CAI programs?

GM: Julia Bergman has been on the board of our non-profit board CAI for 11 years. We originally set up regional resource libraries, and then satellite libraries in our little remote schools. We also found out that books are highly valued. In fact initially they did not want to check them out; they were seen as trophies; basically under lock and key, heavily watched! When they got checked out they got used up so quickly and so fast, loved and embraced by the community. Because of the high costs of shipping books we do bring over probably about 20,000-30,000 books per year. We also print textbooks and syllabuses over there at much less cost. As far as children’s books we need to have them sent over because we are not able to print picture books because of the color separation.

FLR: You have said the wisest man you ever met is Haji Ali, the village leader of Korphe. He was illiterate, so what does that say about the wisdom that comes from life, rather than formal education?

GM: Haji Ali was my mentor, my surrogate father, a very wise man. He taught me three lessons. The first was about three cups of tea and business. The second thing was when I had worked for three years. One day he set me aside and said if you want to get this school done you need to sit down, be quiet and let us get the work done. But the third lesson and the most powerful is actually the title of the children’s book Listen to the Wind. (Ironically the title Three Cups of Tea is also from Haji Ali.) When I was in Korphe, in early 2001 and Haji’s wife Sekina had died, we walked up to her grave. She was buried in a little box facing the West, and in a very rare moment of sentiment he said to me “Without her I am nothing.” And then he said something that I never forget. He said, “Soon you will be standing here and I am going to be in the ground. And when that moment happens you’ll be very sad. But I want you to do one thing—I want you to listen to the wind.” And so I didn’t really ask him what this meant or anything at that time.

I left Pakistan in August 2001, a very tumultuous period before and after 9/11. I got back to Korphe in October 2001. Haji Ali had died. So I went up to his grave and he was buried in a little box facing the West towards the sunset. I remembered what he had said that you’ll be very sad and I was, just as he had predicted. And then I remembered he had said listen to the wind, (phlung khuna whet). So I listened to the wind and I heard the voices of the children in the school. I realized his legacy and vision had come true in the education of his children. And I also thought back to some very precious moments in the evening when Haji Ali used to read. In a little bed (charpoi) like a cot and he had a little lantern but he only had two books. One was The Koran and the other was the Persian Poetry book. He had thick gargled glasses, like number twenties and he would put the book very close to his eyes and he’d read. He often had a tear in his eye or he was sad. I asked Haji why he was sad and he said, “Greg, I don’t know how to read them. I have memorized them.”

Then he showed me how he had flipped pages and marked pages. He knew exactly what page he was on. And he told me; “My life’s greatest tragedy was that I never learned how to read and write. My life’s greatest hope is that my children and their grandchildren will learn to read and write. And these words that are in these books become stories that make wise the lives of fools.” What he meant by fools was illiteracy and ignorance. Even though this man lived in a little village with no communication to the outside world he had that wisdom. He hadn’t seen what education can do but he knew in his heart its importance to the village.

FLR: Now back to the subject of self-expression: You have also said that Haji Ali’s greatest advice to you was to “...sit down. And be quiet.” Why did that prove to be such sage advice?

GM: I had worked for three years 1992-1996 trying to get the school built and was micro-managing as I was determined to get the school built. One day Haji Ali came up to me as mentioned took me aside and said if you want to work here you need to sit down, be quiet and let us do the work, don’t worry. So he took my receipts, records, everything I had been working on and locked them up. I was horrified. And six weeks later the school was built. But it was an important lesson, as I needed to let go and empower the people themselves. I also equate that on a micro level—it works but also on a macro level, you need to empower people.

FLR: To what extent do you feel like your ability to be creative and express yourself led to your success? And to what extent did your abilities allow you to help others?

GM: I grew up with parents who lived a life of service, my father set up a hospital in Africa and my mother set up a school. My childhood heroes were Dr. Albert Schweitzer (Reverence for Life), my father read that book to me; Mother Teresa was one of my role models. We haven’t had role models lately who are committed to service. In Afghanistan you’re only as strong as your weakest link in the community and that person’s ability to help the weak and impoverished. That is held in high regard in this country. But I think we are going through a learning curve. On the other hand—American people—we are the most generous people on the planet. I think we should celebrate that and make that our message in the world.

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