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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Compassion, Charisma, Consequences, November 28, 2009
Dr. Paul Farmer certainly loves the poor and sacrifices himself for them. His work in Haiti, Peru, and Russia is both inspiration and model for how to "just do it"--if, for example, diarrheal diseases and infant deaths are rampant in a rural community and you know clean water will help these public health issues, figure out how to pipe clean water up the 800-foot hill and do it. In other examples, Farmer and his colleagues overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles to save many lives--and even just one. In Mountains Beyond Mountains, Tracy Kidder expertly profiles the charismatic individual Paul Farmer and also shows the power of teambuilding.
Kidder is an admirable storyteller and describer of people and places. His editor should encourage more transitions, however. At first, I was jarred by Kidder's abrupt redirections and lack of explanation; then I accepted that I wouldn't be able to follow some things in this book and went on to enjoy the stories. Also, this book would benefit from a map of Haiti and selected photos of the players since the stories are so personal.
I loved reading about Farmer's approaches with Haitians, cultural gaps, professional colleagues, the drug industry, international medicine, friends, his own Partners in Health team. I admired his compassion and singularity of purpose. The interplay among medicine and anthropology and international medical politics was a revelation to me.
Remaining unclear to me is Farmer's deepest motivation. This book presents an obsessed man but doesn't really tell me why. Are we looking at a man in love with Jesus Christ or a Catholic following rules or a different motive altogether? Discussion of liberation theology (and Cuba's public health) is dangerously thin and one-sided. The reader gets not only a skewed view (no negative consequences) of liberation theology in action, but also another inadequate motive for Farmer's obsessive vision.
On the subject of consequences, this book brilliantly shows results of human failings vs. human victories; policies based on poorly researched facts vs. policies based on research that asks better questions; prejudice vs. understanding; greed vs. generosity; inaction vs. responsiveness; fear vs. courage. I recommend it!
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An Eye Opener, October 8, 2009
If you've ever wondered if one person can make a difference, read this account of Paul Farmer's fight against tuberculosis and other infectious diseases among the poorest of the poor. Farmer, a professor of medicine and medical anthropology at Harvard Medical School and an attending specialist at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston is simply Dokte Paul to patients from Haiti to Russia. He stops at nothing to bring healing to obscure villages and dank prisons. His tireless campaign to tap into finances and to make drugs affordable has changed whole villages. His personal interest in patients, no matter how hopeless their condition, has changed countless lives.
Tracy Kidder performs a great service by putting in the time and research that allows readers to accompany Farmer on hikes across mountains and flights across continents. Kidder allows us to peek behind the closed doors of conference rooms to watch Farmer share his heart and soul with powers that be in government and medicine. You're also there as he kneels in hovels to examine the sick, the hungry, the destitute. You come to know Farmer as a man in a wrinkled suit who travels light because he stuffs his luggage with medicines and supplies.
But the beauty of the book lies in the stories of individuals ranging from Farmer's friends and families, who put their own welfare aside to embrace his calling, to patients who become like family to Farmer. His willingness to fly a cancer-ridden child to Boston in a last-ditch attempt to save his life in spite of great expense shows Farmer's compassion. But Kidder also shows the human side of Farmer by sharing the chinks in his armor. After accompanying him on missions of various kinds around the world, Kidder knows Farmer's quirks and understands not only his abbreviated lingo but his heart for the people of the world.
While I normally eschew recommending books that include certain four-letter words, I do believe the message of the book is too important to allow such squeamishness. Kidder writes with honesty and humor, and his skill has won him literary awards including a Pulitzer Prize.
Shirley Brosius, author of Sisterhood of Faith: 365 Life-Changing Stories About Women Who Made a Difference
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5.0 out of 5 stars
healthcare for the world, January 18, 2010
I knew nothing about Haiti when I started reading this book. Before I finished it, Haiti was in the news for the devastating earthquake. This book gives a great insight to the challenges of providing healthcare to the most needy areas of the world.
It shows us how international and national health programmes can overlook people in the poorest parts of the world like the people of Haiti and Peru. But it tells the story of how one man (Dr. Paul Farmer)was able to bring his vision of a healthcare for TB and HIV patients to some totally neglected areas, and how he and his colleagues overcame all obstacles to ensure person-centered healthcare.
I would highly recommend this book to everyone and particularly to anyone who works in healthcare as a reminder of what real healthcare should be about. It is also a book for anyone who wants to learn some of the basic truths about inequalty in health care, food and education. The story is well told by Tracey Kidder who accompanies Paul Farmer and his colleagues through some of their travels. It deals with complex issues in a very readable way. I couldnt leave it down from the first page.
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