Widely Read

Posted on February 9, 2010 - Permalink
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The book chosen for this semester's One Book One Community program is Three Cups of Tea, written by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin. There are three versions of this 2006 bestseller, each aimed at a different age group - adults, young adults and children.

The aim of the program is to bring communities together through shared reading and discussion.

Susan McCombe, director of college and community partnerships and program co-organizer, said this year's reading project is expected to really take off.

"There will be lots of copies floating around town so everyone who would like to read this book should have the opportunity," she said.

The college is donating copies of the books to various town organizations. The Bridgewater Public Library is purchasing additional copies for its collection and the Friends of the Bridgewater Public Library is donating copies to area elementary, middle and high schools.

The program's kick-off event is scheduled for Feb. 27 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the library, where Dr. James Hayes-Bohanan, associate professor of geography and avid coffee enthusiast, will speak about tea, its origins and traditions. It will be the first of three public events, referred to as "tea parties" (not to be confused with the current political gatherings) to be held throughout the semester.

Three Cups of Tea focuses on Mortenson's commitment to reducing poverty and educating girls in Pakistan and Afghanistan after he became lost and ill in 1993 while hiking in the mountains of Pakistan. By chance, he came across the village of Korphe, where its impoverished people nursed him back to health. As repayment, he built the village its first school and cofounded the Central Asia Institute, which has since built more than 131 schools in the two countries.

To learn more about the program and book log on to here. (Story by Rob Matheson, Institutional Communications)