My daily trips to elementary school were easy. We lived in the neighborhood right behind the school, and all it took to get there was an easy five-minute bike ride.

It is that kind of access to education that makes me–and every one of you reading this–very fortunate.

In Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin’s “Three Cups of Tea: One Man’s Mission to Promote Peace…One School at a Time” there is the story of a young child who has to walk for two days, then float down a river to reach his school. Never mind that he has never been away from his home and can’t swim.

But the prospect of an education for the Pakistani child is enough of a reward to go to such lengths.

The book is one of those that makes you almost feel bad to read it while sitting in an air conditioned room in a comfy chair.

After spending time in the mountainous northern region of Pakistan as a climber, Mortenson becomes inspired to help the people living in the area. He sees how simple things–like schools–could make a huge impact on their lives.

The description of his efforts and the way he bonds with the people of the far-flung villages just shows how different this world would be if we all just sat down to talk. So many misconceptions about nationalities and religious affiliations have poisoned the perceptions of too many minds.

At the dedication ceremony for one of the schools Mortenson helped build, Syed Abbas, leader of northern Pakistan’s Shiite Muslims, gives a speech. It is September 14, 2001, and Abbas says the day is one the Pakistani children and their children will remember–not because of the terror attacks, but because “today, from the darkness of illiteracy, the light of education shines bright.”

Mortenson described the speech, saying the entire crowd was in tears by the end: “I wish all Americans who think ‘Muslim’ is just another way of saying ‘terrorist’ could have been there that day. The true core tenants of Islam are justice, tolerance, and charity, and Syed Abbas represented the moderate center of Muslim faith eloquently.”

It is the lack of knowledge, or the understanding that comes with the exposure to another culture, that can so often lead to incorrect assumptions and unfair groupings. Mortenson often gave talks during his time in America, transitioning from his experience climbing K2 to the efforts to build schools. They often served as fundraising events, but also frequently drew only a few attendees.

For one such speech in Montana, there were only six people. One, however, turned out to be Representative Mary Bono, who told Mortenson she learned more about the region in that hour than she had in all the briefings she had attended on Capitol Hill. For all the intelligence gathering and report after report, it took a guy who had spent months living with Pakistanis to give a clear view of what was happening on the ground.

“Three Cups of Tea” is one of those books you should read and pass onto someone else. If you want to skip ahead to learning more about Mortenson’s efforts through the non-profit Central Asia Institute, check out their website.