#48

#48 is one that I accomplished without actually realizing I had done it. In addition, I read two very different books about related subject matter. 

The first book was Where Men Win Glory by Jon Krakauer. Anyone who knows me knows that I am a Jon Krakauer fanatic. I've been a fan of his ever since I picked up my brother Grant's copy of Into Thin Air which was followed in quick succession with Into the Wild and Under the Banner of Heaven (which still creeps me out to this day). Where Men Win Glory was picked up during a random visit to a bookstore when I was trying to kill time before work. I'm no writer, so I won't try to summarize the book; however, I will say that it changed my perception of Afghanistan dramatically as well as confirmed some feelings that I already had about the US Army. Also, I firmly believe that had Pat Tillman lived, he would be well on his way to becoming President. His widow, Marie, has continued his awesome work with the Pat Tillman Foundation, you should check it out.

The second biography I read was Three Cups of Tea. This was another random pick-up; however, this time from my Mom's collection at home. I had been eyeing this book for months, so when I was on a break from Moby Dick, I decided to grab it for a quick read - 36 hours later, I finally put it down. Again, I won't summarize, but the work that Greg Mortenson does transforming bags full of cash into schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan is amazing. In a part of the world that we broke (twice) but refuse to fix, Greg is actually fighting terrorism with education and community involvement. Imagine that.

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