Download Mountains Beyond Mountains The Quest of Dr Paul Farmer a Man Who Would Cure the World Random House Reader Circle Tracy Kidder 9780812980554 Books

Product details Series Random House Reader's Circle Paperback 332 pages Publisher Random House Trade Paperbacks; Reprint edition (August 25, 2009) Language English ISBN-10 0812980557

Mountains Beyond Mountains The Quest of Dr Paul Farmer a Man Who Would Cure the World Random House Reader Circle Tracy Kidder 9780812980554 Books Reviews

• This is one of my all-time favorite books. A giant of nonfiction writing, Tracy Kidder, delivers a vivid and moving account of the herculean efforts of Dr. Paul Farmer, one of the true heroes of our time, as he tirelessly fights the spread of drug-resistant TB and along the way improves the quality of life in the nation of Haiti and other communities around the world.
• This book provides a glimpse not only into the medical and sociological challenges of Haiti and other impoverished regions, but into the culture of those who serve, support those who serve and in many cases obstruct those who serve. Mr. Farmer's view of all human life being worthy of an opportunity to live is refreshing in an era of global narcissism. Mr. Kidder did an exceptional job capturing Paul Farmer's character, dedication, commitment and single-minded focus, but I still came away not fully understanding what drives him at his core. This lack of understanding my be my fault as I've been trained to seek a "root cause" when I analyze a situation, in a culture where everyone has an agenda. Regardless, I applaud Mr. Farmer and the thousands of other unnamed global servants who engage on a life level helping those who most need help.
• I had this book for a long time before reading it. When I would think of reading Mountains Beyond Mountains, I felt challenged. Actually that is a good thing as I understood how difficult Dr. Farmer's causes were and how dedicated and influential he was. I learned a lot about TB and other diseases prevalent in other places and how difficult but necessary the treatments are. The broad funding requirements, the political dance, the education of others besides caring for patients made the PIH so crusty and difficult. Still with dedication and energy much has been accomplished is several critical places. The world owes a great debt to Dr. Paul Farmer and others who dedicate their lives to caring for those who don't have the means or ability to help themselves.
• Thank you Tracy Kidder. It was hard to put this book down. I felt as if I'd walked every mile with Paul Farmer through remote mountain villages where he helped people suffering from maladies that took root in the midst of poverty, isolation and lack of knowledge. Reading this story, my takeaway was this When we do have occasion to meet people like Dr. Farmer, we are fortunate if we recognize we are in the presence of someone who is living out his or her mission without holding back. Passionately, tirelessly and with perseverance. Deserving of our gratitude and support. Kidder does an admirable job by providing an accurate and respectfully written portrayal of Dr. Farmer with the power to inspire others to follow in his footsteps.
• I had to read this book for school summer work so of course I went into it not having high hopes, but it ended up being one of the most educational and eye opening nonfiction stories I ave ever read. There were many life lessons that I learned throughout the novel and many lessons dealing with world medical history, racism, diversity, politics, and the issue of poverty in the world.
• Tracy Kidder is the master journalist, like a clear window on the world. Long ago I read The Soul of a New Machine and liked it, but didn't think too much about it. The brilliance of Kidder's style is so make you feel like you are there, really feel what the subject is about, without any distortion positive or negative.
  
  What an amazing subject for this work Dr. Paul Farmer. This guy is just amazing! As a college student, he travels to Haiti to dedicate himself to the poor. He attends Harvard while spending 8 months a year in Haiti building his own hospital there. He gets a PhD in Anthropology at the same time he gets his MD, the latter not surprising given that he already has 6 years of intense clinical experience dealing directly with life and death situations. You would expect such a person to take on airs, maybe be a big proud of himself, maybe even be motivated by the 'big bucks' so clearly available in a rich city. Dr. Farmer appears to be vying for a "saint" award. Kidder makes you feel like you are there sitting in the same room, and it is no big deal.
  
  To say this book is inspiring is badly understating it. Look at what you can do if you hold true to your ideals! It is humbling as well. Dr. Farmer is my age, and I can't help drawing parallels with my own life, and there is no way I could do a fraction of what he is done. Yet I don't need to it is satisfying to know that there are people like him in the world.
  
  There is so much to learn from the book. Never give in, and never give up! His daily accomplishments are so small, and yet at the same time so profound and consistent. It is all about "caring". If you care about your friends, your neighbors, your family, and - yes - the rest of the world, how can you not love a person who literally saves people on a daily basis? Are we seeing a saint walking among us? One has to wonder.
  
  This is a story that needs to be told. It reminds me a lot of Three Cups of Tea. If only we could motivate others to do the same -- if only we could motivate ourselves to do the same -- the world could be a better place. How refreshing to read about a real superhero.
  
  While continuing to work in Haiti, he started to investigate Lima Peru, where there was a disturbing trend people with Tuberculosis that was resistant to 4, maybe even 5 of the top antibiotics. He goes there and finds that in general Peru is competently following a program in strict accordance to WHO standards. The problem was the WHO guidelines! How to raise this issue without alienating the world's most important health organization, or the officials in Peru. At the same time, what can be done about drugs with inflated costs putting them out of reach of these poor patients?
  
  His travels take him to the prisons in Russia, which has a an extreme problem with TB as well. Prisoners are easy to study and monitor. He points out that the prisons are like a pump that cycles TB into the general population with prisoners who stay a few years and bring the disease back with him. You almost cheer when he gets a grant from the Gates foundation to develop a modified procedure to battle MDR-TB.
  
  He does not do any of this all by himself. There are a lot of truly dedicate people who recognize his talent and follow/help him all along the way. Kidder manages to capture many of these people as well. At still, Farmer's real talent is to be the catalyst that makes it all come together. It might be better to say it all flows around him...
  
  In the end, his success is due to one simple talent, and he says it best in his own words "I like people." It is hard not to like him back.