Three Cups of Tea, by Greg Mortensen, has been a non-fiction publishing phenomenon since its release in 2006. It's an inspirational story of courage and humanitarianism in a place ravaged by war and terrorism. However, if a mere third of Jon Krakauer's allegations are true, then Mortensen's book is nothing more than fiction. According to the information here, Greg Mortensen did not build the schools where he claimed, when he claimed, nor as many as he claimed. He was never a prisoner of terrorists, has not used the money donated to him the way he claims, and has refused to let even the people he work with look very close at his actual work.

Krakauer's book here is really a novella-length essay, but every allegation is annotated, including many rebuttals from the people mentioned in Mortensen's book. I know that Krakauer has already taken some criticism for writing this, because taking the fact away from "Three Cups of Tea" is for many adults the same thing as revealing the truth about Santa to a child who still wants to believe. He also has been labeled with the "wounded lover" syndrome, having admired Mortensen's supposed work and donated to his cause. Jon Krakauer is a journalist with immense reputation and much to lose by simply smearing another respected author for merely personal reasons. With the documented research, it's difficult to conclude anything other than Mortensen is a fraud.