Suicide of Three Cups of Tea co-author after claims it was fabricated
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Fans of Three Cups of Tea, the non-fiction book about building schools for rural children in Afghanistan and Pakistan, awoke to news this morning that one of its two authors, David Oliver Relin, had died at the age of 49 in what the authorities said was suicide.
Family members said only that Mr Relin had “suffered from depression”. The New York Times said he had been hurt “emotionally and financially” by allegations that some parts of Three Cups of Tea had been fabricated.
The book was advertised as having been co-authored by Mr Relin and Greg Mortenson. It relates the efforts of Mr Mortenson’s charity, the Central Asia Institute, to build the schools in remote areas. Doubts about the book were raised last year by the current affairs programme, 60 Minutes. The report featured allegations by fellow author Jon Krakauer. He questioned the claim that Mr Mortenson launched his school-building drive after being rescued in Pakistan following a botched mountaineering expedition.
There were also allegations in the 60 Minutes report that some of the schools either didn’t exist or had been built by someone else. Mr Mortenson acknowledged that the book contained some mistakes and that time periods had been compressed. Mr Relin never spoke publicly about the charges though he hired a lawyer to help defend his reputation.
The controversy was fuelled when four readers filed a lawsuit claiming they had been defrauded because the book was an exercise in glorifying Mr Mortensen and his charity. The case was thrown out earlier this year.
Deputy medical examiner of Multnomah County, Oregon, Peter Bellant, said Mr Relin had died on 14 November from a head injury.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments