Disgraced ‘Three Cups of Tea’ Author Greg Mortenson Explains Himself to Tom Brokaw
It’s been more than a little while since we last heard from ‘Three Cups of Tea’ author Greg Mortenson, whose semi-memoir was revealed to contain more than a few fabrications. (One example, in case you’ve forgotten, Mortenson claimed to have met Mother Teresa three years after she had died.)
The scandal eventually spiraled into some disquieting discoveries about the finances and operational failures of Mortenson’s non-profit, the aim of which was to build schools for children across Afghanistan. Along the way, some important conversations were had about the American mission in Afghanistan as well as the issues of education and gender equality.
Almost three(!) years later, Mortenson sat with Tom Brokaw to explain himself. In an interview on NBC’s “Today” that will air on Tuesday, Mortenson admits that the timing and sequences in his best-selling book might have been a little bit off, but lets us know that his heart was in the right place.
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Ahead of the interview, NBC released a few choice excerpts:
TOM BROKAW: It still just has puzzled me and why there wasn't, at some point, in your mind, an alarm that went off and said, "this just isn't right in some way."
GREG MORTENSON: There were alarms, Tom. I didn't listen to them. I was willing to basically kill myself to raise money and help the projects.
***
TOM BROKAW: I think I speak for a lot of people when I say America is a country of second chances, if people learn from the first experience.
GREG MORTENSON: I've been given the privilege to come back again and be committed to this and do it in a more humble and-- understanding way. I'm gonna try as hard as I can never to make the same mistakes again.
Are you ready to take him back?
This article was originally published at http://www.thewire.com/culture/2014/01/disgraced-three-cups-tea-author-greg-mortenson-explains-himself-tom-brokaw/357166/
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