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Loading... Mountains Beyond Mountainsby Tracy Kidder
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will love Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book.  ascgrrl | Oct 21, 2009 |  non-fiction, biography, Haiti, medicine, poverty, tuberculosis, AIDS, read in 2009 (  ) itbgc | Sep 29, 2009 | dult/High School-Thought-provoking and profoundly satisfying, this book will inspire feelings of humility, admiration, and disquietude; in some readers, it may sow the seeds of humanitarian activism. As a specialist in infectious diseases, Farmer's goal is nothing less than redressing the "steep gradient of inequality" in medical service to the desperately poor. His work establishing a complex of public health facilities on the central plateau of Haiti forms the keystone to efforts that now encompass initiatives on three continents. Farmer and a trio of friends began in the 1980s by creating a charitable foundation called Partners in Health (PIH, or Zanmi Lasante in Creole), armed with passionate conviction and $1 million in seed money from a Boston philanthropist. kdmclynn | Sep 13, 2009 | Absolutely fascinating! The power, depth, breadth shown in what one person has accomplished is breathtaking. The world needs more Paul Farmers AND moreTracy Kidders! ( ) nyiper | Aug 30, 2009 | An interesting biography of Dr. Paul Farmer, a doctor/anthropologist who began helping treat the sick in rural Haiti and eventually created a global network serving the poor all over the world. I was especially intrigued by how Farmer's work spread as it developed: from Haiti to Boston to Peru to Cuba to Russia (and now, a few years after the book was written, to Rwanda). Tracy Kidder writes well, and he does a good job of subtly raising questions about how Farmer does things. Critics have accused Farmer and his organization, Partners in Health, of gross inefficiency and an inability to see "the big picture", but Farmer defends his methods eloquently, with his words and actions alike. My biggest problem with the book is Kidder's obvious adoration of his subject, and my biggest problem with Paul Farmer is the personality that often shows through in spite of this adoration. Farmer sometimes comes across as self-righteous, arrogant, and completely intolerant of anyone who is less fanatically devoted than he is (despite Kidder's repeated claims that he's none of those things). But while I probably wouldn't like Farmer on a personal level, there is no question that he is an amazing man, who has done immense amounts of good in the world. (  ) drewandlori | Aug 22, 2009 | 
 ''Mountains Beyond Mountains'' is inspiring, disturbing, daring and completely absorbing. It will rattle our complacency; it will prick our conscience.
Amazon.com Product Description (ISBN 0812973011, Paperback)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. (retrieved from Amazon Fri, 24 Apr 2009 07:58:08 -0400) The first test round has been closed. Visit the Open Shelves Classification group for details. |
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A great book - one that I've recommended to several friends and customers. (