Three Cups of Pee

File this one under Say it isn’t so! Investigative news program 1 Hour has accused humanitarian Greg Mortenson of fudging certain aspects of his memoir Three Cups of Tea as well as financially mismanaging his charity, the Central Asia Institute.

Both Three Cups of Tea and Mortenson’s second book, Stones into Schools, are amazing books. The HD says never let the truth interfere with a good story! Look, it is always difficult to recall events that happened over a decade ago in journalistic detail. One’s mind is always inclined to remember things differently than how they actually happened. What up, James Frey’s A Million Little Lies! But if you’re going to write a memoir from memory alone, it’s best to go the What Is the What route.

However, the financial mismanagement aspect to the 60 Minutes piece is far more serious. Very, very disappointing if true. The HD is not only fluent in Latin, but has also seen enough West Wing to know: “Corruptio optimi pessima”. Corruption of the best is the worst.

The HD is inclined though to let this one play out. It will be interesting to see if donations drop to CAI as a result of this story. Stay tuned.