Relin was born in
Rochester, New York and graduated from
Vassar College. 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. Relin traveled to and reported from numerous countries in East Asia. A significant portion of Relin's writing focused on social issues and on children and along with being a contributing editor for
Parade and
Skiing magazines, Relin was a senior news editor for
React, another newsmagazine publication of
Parade. He also wrote investigative feature articles on school shootings, ecstasy abuse, and teenagers in prison for
Teen People. His articles for
Teen People enabled that publication to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence.
Second Suns: Two Doctors and Their Amazing Quest to Restore Sight and Save Lives was published posthumously.
Death According to his family, Relin had been diagnosed with
depression. 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. ==References==