On the evening of November 28, over twenty members of the Shipley community shared pizza—and tea—to discuss Greg Mortenson’s book, Three Cups of Tea: One Man’s Mission to Promote Peace…One School at a Time. Sandi Richards, Coordinator of Community Life, said, “I enjoyed the book chat a lot, not only because of the compelling story, but also because of the diverse constituents who attended.”

Shipley’s Diversity Team established the annual Pizza and Book Nights several years ago as a way to encourage people from across the community to read books with multicultural themes, and then to come together to talk about the books in an informal, inclusive way. Past books include Counting Coup, which deals with Native American, female, and socio-economic concerns, and Love in the Driest Season, with its focus on international adoption.

Three Cups of Tea’s focus on education and globalism ties into Shipley’s mission to inspire a compassionate participation in the world on the part our students, and to teach them the value of becoming global citizens. “I found the book really inspiring,” said one student who attended the book chat. “It made me want to go out and help. I came to the Book Chat to see if anyone else was inspired in the same way.”

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