Perhaps you have heard of the controversy over a man named Greg Mortensen. Greg Mortensen, a best-selling author and philanthropist, wrote Three Cups of Tea and more recently, Stones into Schools. I read Three Cups of Tea years ago when it first came out. It is a story about him founding an institute to build schools, especially for girls, in Pakistan and surrounding areas..
He has, however, recently been accused of mismanaging funds and even being a down-right liar. He was roundly attacked in a 60 Minutes expose, which I thought was very thorough but definitely shocking. Mortensen made a reply, which unfortunately I cannot link since it is a PDF file. Look up "Mortensen response 60 minutes." He does not explain away other people's allegations, their motivations, etc. The explanations for spending don't gell with me either.
The part that has me rubbing my hands together gleefully is: before any of this came out, when I first read the book, I told my mother, who also read the book, that I didn't trust Mortensen. I did not know why. I could not pin it down, but I didn't! I never dreamed, however, that he is as dishonest as he currently appears. The 60 Minutes clip says it all.
I am a writer myself and have looked into memoirs. I have considered the ethics of composite characters, collapsing timelines, etc. Mortensen goes waaaaaay beyond any gray areas into the solid black. Making up a kidnapping and a village rescue? Listing schools that someone else built? More money spent on book tour "domestic affairs" and advertising than schools? Although a understand why people in Pakistan may wish to discredit Mortensen, I do not see why a lot of other people would. The financial evidence says a lot, and what it doesn't, the "kidnapping" story does, even if that has not been completely debunked.
If you were looking for an unbiased account, a word of caution, mercy, etc, you came to the wrong place. My verdict is: guilty as charged.
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