Three Cups of Tea - Authorship

Authorship

Though Mortenson and Relin are given equal credit for authoring the Three Cups of Tea, the book is written from Relin's perspective as a journalist interviewing and observing Mortenson. In the book's introduction, Relin admitted that his desire to see Mortenson's project succeed likely influenced his objectivity as a reporter. Elizabeth Kaplan, the agent for the book, later acknowledged that the relationship between the Mortenson and Relin was difficult. Mortenson, who was often traveling, was hard to track down, and Relin spoke publicly about how Mortenson should not have been named a co-author. As detailed in a New York Times article, Relin "suffered emotionally and financially as basic facts in the book were called into question" and later committed suicide on November 15, 2012.