Greg Mortenson is a humanitarian and co-author of the New York Times bestseller "Three Cups of Tea," which has sold over three million copies and been published in 39 countries. The book remained on the New York Times bestseller list for three years and was named Time Magazine's Asia Book of the Year. His follow-up work, "Stones Into Schools: Promoting Peace with Books Not Bombs, In Afghanistan and Pakistan," debuted at number two on the New York Times hardcover bestseller list. Both books highlight his efforts to promote education in remote regions of Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Mortenson's career began after a 1993 climb of Pakistan's K2, where he witnessed children writing in the dirt with sticks and vowed to build them a school. Since then, he has established over 131 schools, providing education to more than 58,000 children, including 44,000 girls. His work has earned him Pakistan's highest civil award, the Sitara-e-Pakistan ("Star of Pakistan"), and bipartisan nominations for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2009 and 2010. "Three Cups of Tea" is mandatory reading for U.S. military commanders deploying to Afghanistan and has been selected as a common read by over 100 universities and 240 communities.
Born in 1957, Mortenson grew up in Tanzania and later served in the U.S. Army, earning the Army Commendation Medal. He holds a degree from the University of South Dakota and co-founded the Central Asia Institute and Pennies for Peace. Despite facing numerous challenges, including kidnappings and fatwas, Mortenson remains dedicated to his mission of advancing education, particularly for girls, in conflict-ridden regions. He lives in Montana with his wife, Dr. Tara Bishop, and their two children.