Part 2: Chapters 9-11 Summary and Analysis

Chapter 9.

Mortenson, Sarfraz, and members of the Dirty Dozen began going into the furthest corners of the Neelum Valley. Everywhere they went was evidence of the devastation of the earthquake, but there were also signs of hope in the rebuilding of homes and communities. Many villagers would pack up and move en masse, going where they could find the resources they needed. For this reason, Sarfraz encouraged Mortenson to delay thinking about closing the tent schools and building more permanent structures. However, Sarfraz would later convince Mortenson and the CAI to help provide water to some of these remote places whose water dried up or shifted due to the earthquake.

During a visit to a tent school in the village of Nouseri, Mortenson noticed that many of the children were not attending classes. When Mortenson asked why...