Inspiration beyond measure. Talk about someone that is making it happen. Just when you think you are working hard, changing your community, or maki... (show more)
Mountains Beyond Mountains: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, a Man Who Would Cure the World
Tracy Kidder is a winner of the Pulitzer Prize and the author of the bestsellers The Soul of a New Machine, House, Among Schoolchildren, and Home Town. He has been described by the Baltimore Sun as the “master of the non-fiction narrative.” This powerful and inspiring new book shows how one person can make a difference, as Kidder tells the true story of a gifted man who is in love with the world and has set out to do all he can to cure it.
At the center of Mountains Beyond Moun... (show more)
Tracy Kidder is a winner of the Pulitzer Prize and the author of the bestsellers The Soul of a New Machine, House, Among Schoolchildren, and Home Town. He has been described by the Baltimore Sun as the “master of the non-fiction narrative.” This powerful and inspiring new book shows how one person can make a difference, as Kidder tells the true story of a gifted man who is in love with the world and has set out to do all he can to cure it.
At the center of Mountains Beyond Mountains stands Paul Farmer. Doctor, Harvard professor, renowned infectious-disease specialist, anthropologist, the recipient of a MacArthur “genius” grant, world-class Robin Hood, Farmer was brought up in a bus and on a boat, and in medical school found his life’s calling: to diagnose and cure infectious diseases and to bring the lifesaving tools of modern medicine to those who need them most. This magnificent book shows how radical change can be fostered in situations that seem insurmountable, and it also shows how a meaningful life can be created, as Farmer—brilliant, charismatic, charming, both a leader in international health and a doctor who finds time to make house calls in Boston and the mountains of Haiti—blasts through convention to get results.
Mountains Beyond Mountains takes us from Harvard to Haiti, Peru, Cuba, and Russia as Farmer changes minds and practices through his dedication to the philosophy that "the only real nation is humanity" - a philosophy that is embodied in the small public charity he founded, Partners In Health. He enlists the help of the Gates Foundation, George Soros, the U.N.’s World Health Organization, and others in his quest to cure the world. At the heart of this book is the example of a life based on hope, and on an understanding of the truth of the Haitian proverb “Beyond mountains there are mountains”: as you solve one problem, another problem presents itself, and so you go on and try to solve that one too.
“Mountains Beyond Mountains unfolds with the force of a gathering revelation,” says Annie Dillard, and Jonathan Harr says, “[Farmer] wants to change the world. Certainly this luminous and powerful book will change the way you see it.”
From the Hardcover edition. (show less)
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Reviews (See all 855) Write a reviewfor this
It's a hit!
No, it's a flop!
Personally, I'm not a big fan of this book. Everything that Dr. Paul did was amazing. Infact, It was down right remarkable, but I don't know if it ... (show more)
Personally, I'm not a big fan of this book. Everything that Dr. Paul did was amazing. Infact, It was down right remarkable, but I don't know if it required a 300 page book to tell us everything. It reminded me a little of an article. Now, I'm not saying it was cut and dry and humorless, like most articles are because there was indeed a great deal of humor mixed in, but it was not an exciting read in any sense of the word.
The book was well written, however, and definetly got it's point across, which was that suffering is global, and the poor suffer most, which I think we can all agree on. It also shows the reader the "behind the scenes" work of a human rights/health activist, which is nice because the public really only sees the end result of all the hard work, not the hard work that goes into that result.
In short, the writing was great, but the subject was a little repetitive. (show less)
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Patria es humanidad - The only real nation is humanity.
This book is a moving and inspirational account of Dr. Paul Farmer and some of his friends from Partners in Health as they try to fight disease (MDR TB and AIDS in particular) in Haiti, Peru, and Russia.
As Margaret Mead once said, "Never underestimate the ability of a small group of committed individuals to change the world."
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This intimate account of Dr. Paul Farmer is by turns inspiring, enraging, and thought-provoking. Farmer, a brilliant American doctor who early on decided to join his fate to a terribly impoverished community in Haiti, is clearly an extraordinary person, but rather than settling for some variety of hero worship, author Tracy Kidder confronts the mixed feelings and mixed impact elicited by such outlandish commitment and personal sacrifice. Of course, being about Farmer, who also has also been... (show more)
This intimate account of Dr. Paul Farmer is by turns inspiring, enraging, and thought-provoking. Farmer, a brilliant American doctor who early on decided to join his fate to a terribly impoverished community in Haiti, is clearly an extraordinary person, but rather than settling for some variety of hero worship, author Tracy Kidder confronts the mixed feelings and mixed impact elicited by such outlandish commitment and personal sacrifice. Of course, being about Farmer, who also has also been instrumental in changing attitudes worldwide about public health and the poor, the book also poses an assortment of "big" questions: should we expend terrific resources to heal a small group of sick people (or even a single sick person)? Can we really say we can't "afford" to stop (for example) multi-drug resistant TB in poor communities when in the amount spent on pet grooming in the rich world (as Dr. Farmer notes during a visit to Paris) would probably cover treatment costs? And does it make sense for a brilliant doctor who can make such outstanding contributions to the world--speaking at conferences, raising money, changing minds--to spend so much time in a remote village in Haiti, just treating patients? (show less)
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Dr. Paul Farmer is an inspiration. One person doing whatever is necessary to save one more person. The book kinda loses steam as it winds down. Farmer's organization gets so big and powerful. But anyway - I am a better person after reading this book. Just ask my friends. And that makes this book worth the time.
Jeff Lambert 23 days ago
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