Three Cups of Deceit

Three Cups of Deceit - How Greg Mortenson, Humanitarian Hero, Lost His Way

Softcover edition
Author	Jon Krakauer
Country	United States
Language	English
Genre	Non-fiction
Publisher	Byliner
Publication date	April 20, 2011
Media type	e-book
Pages	96 pp.
ISBN
Preceded by	Where Men Win Glory

Three Cups of Deceit: How Greg Mortenson, Humanitarian Hero, Lost His Way is a 2011 e-book written by Jon Krakauer about Three Cups of Tea (2007) and Stones into Schools (2009) author Greg Mortenson. In it, Krakauer disputes Mortenson's accounts of his experiences in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and accuses him of mishandling funds donated to his charity, Central Asia Institute ("CAI").

Release of the e-book online came one day after a 60 Minutes report on Mortenson that aired on April 17, 2011. The book was initially available on a limited basis at byliner.com for free download in April 2011 and has since been released in a number of digital formats. Since its release as a Kindle Single edition, the e-book has risen to the number one spot on Kindle Single's bestseller's list. On July 1, 2011 the book was released as a paperback edition published by Anchor Books.

Krakauer has received both criticism and praise for the book Three Cups of Deceit. The e-book was described as both "Krakauer's fact-based gut-punch to Three Cups of Tea" and to "have a bit of a 'jilted lover' feel to it" by Chamber Four online book reviewer Marcos Velasquez. who congratulated Krakauer on the book's release. A starred review in Publishers Weekly proclaimed, "Packed with interviews and anecdotes that undercut Mortenson's image as a cheerful do-gooder, Krakauer's account of good intentions gone horribly wrong is a stunning example of investigative journalism". Critics of Krakauer's work, however, have said Krakauer's focus is in the wrong direction.

Marjorie Kehe, books editor for The Christian Science Monitor, stated in her article on Krakauer's book, "...having read and fully digested Three Cups of Deceit, I can still identify...fundamental truths in both of Mortenson's books, Three Cups of Tea and Stones Into Schools. Kehe went on to state, "Most of us, if we had established one such school – or even played a part in doing so – might feel that we had justified our very existences by that act. Mortenson has done this many, many times over. I'm not saying that this makes any wrongs he has committed right. It doesn't. But it certainly ought to be weighed in the balance."