David Oliver Relin (December 12, 1962 – November 15, 2012)[1] was an American journalist and the co-author of the New York Times best-selling book, Three Cups of Tea, published in 2006.

[1][2][3] The book gives Mortenson's account of his transition from registered nurse and mountain-climber to humanitarian committed to reducing poverty and promoting education for girls in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

After being awarded a Michener Fellowship to support a 1992 bicycle trip through Vietnam, he spent two years in Huế writing about the country opening itself up to the world economically and educationally.

He also wrote investigative feature articles on school shootings, ecstasy abuse, and teenagers in prison for Teen People.

[1][2] His obituary in The New York Times reported that he suffered emotionally and financially when basic facts in Three Cups of Tea were called into question.