Mountains Beyond Mountains : The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, a Man Who Would Cure the World by
Tracy Kidder
"Six years after the fact, Dr. Paul Edward Farmer reminded me, "We met because of a beheading, of all things..." (more) SIPs:
mango lady, health census, medevac flight, long defeat, line antibiotics (more)
CAPs:
Zanmi Lasante, Partners In Health, Père Lafontant, Paul Farmer, Tom White (more)
Review “In this excellent work, Pulitzer Prize—winner Kidder immerses himself in and beautifully explores the rich drama that exists in the life of Dr. Paul Farmer…Throughout, Kidder captures the almost saintly effect Farmer has on those whom he treats.” -Publisher’sWeekly, starred review
“[A] Skilled and graceful exploration of the soul of an astonishing human being.” -KirkusReviews, starred review
“A fine writer and his extraordinary subject: Tracy Kidder, in giving us Paul Farmer, lifts up an image of hope–and challenge–that the world urgently needs. Simply put, this is an important book.” -James Carroll, author of Constantine'sSword
“The central character of this marvelous book is one of the most provocative, brilliant, funny, unsettling, endlessly energetic, irksome, and charming characters ever to spring to life on the page. He has embarked on an epic struggle that will take you from the halls of Harvard Medical School to a sun-scorched plateau in Haiti, from the slums of Peru to the cold gray prisons of Moscow. He wants to change the world. Certainly this luminous and powerful book will change the way you see it.”—Jonathan Harr, author of A Civil Action
“A profoundly inspiring and important book about one of the truly great men of our time.” —Ethan Canin, author of Carry Me Across the Water
“Here is a genuine hero alive in our times. MountainsBeyondMountains unfolds with the force of gathering revelation. Like all of Tracy Kidder’s books, it is as hard to put down as any good and true story.”—Annie Dillard, author of The Writing Life
“Mountains Beyond Mountains is the only book I’ve read in years that made me feel like cheering. It left me uncomfortable, guilty, and exhausted—but it also inspired me, kept me up all night, and moved me to tears. Some readers will find their lives changed forever; everyone else will emerge, at the very least, with an unexpectedly revised set of values. Tracy Kidder has given us not only an unforgettable book but an unignorable life lesson. Hurrah!” —Anne Fadiman, author of The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down
“Rarely has idealism fared so well on the planet as in Tracy Kidder’s eloquently reported Mountains Beyond Mountains. One is tempted to call Paul Farmer’s passionate sensibilities and loving ambitions otherworldly, but only in sadness that there are too few of him in the world. Kidder has provided us all, as the Farmerites say, with a road map to decency, and such an endowment is beyond measure.” —Bob Shacochis, author of Easy in the Islands
"Is there anything Tracy Kidder can't do? This is a beautiful book, and a masterful one. Even better, Mountains Beyond Mountains is a page-turner that will crack your conscience open." -Stacey Schiff, author of Vera
“An incredible story about an incredible man told by an incredible writer. Mountains Beyond Mountainsis the sort of book that makes you want to buy a hundred copies and pass them out like a street corner evangelist. It's the sort of book that will affect your life in a profound way. In a good way.” -Thom Jones, author of The Pugilist at Rest
“Saints are notoriously difficult people, but who knew one could be so funny, so utterly charming, and finally so deft in accomplishing that most impossible of all job descriptions--changing the world? Tracy Kidder's spellbinding story presents us with an unlikely saint and finally, with inspiration so compelling it makes the usual cynicism about global change seem indulgent foolishness.” -PatriciaHampl, author of A Romantic Education
From the Hardcover edition.
Book Description Tracy Kidder is a winner of the Pulitzer Prize and the author of the bestsellers The Soul of a New Machine, House, AmongSchoolchildren, and HomeTown. He has been described by the BaltimoreSun 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.”
First Sentence:
Six years after the fact, Dr. Paul Edward Farmer reminded me, "We met because of a beheading, of all things." Read the first pageStatistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
mango lady, health census, medevac flight, long defeat, line antibiotics, community health workers, central plateau
Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Zanmi Lasante, Partners In Health, Père Lafontant, Paul Farmer, Tom White, Harvard Medical School, Howard Hiatt, Doktè Paul, Morne Kabrit, World Bank, Father Jack, Mass General, Jaime Bayona, Alex Goldfarb, National Highway, World Health Organization, Eye Care, Children's Pavilion, Lord of the Rings, Graham Greene, Harvard School of Public Health, Kay Epin, South Africa, Soviet Union, The Comedians
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"Mountains Beyond Mountains" is no exception to Tracy Kidder's excellent body of work. I have been a fan since he wrote "Soul of a New Machine." Kidder impressed me then, as he does now, with his upfront investment of time before putting pen to paper. Fortunately for us, his hard work translates to first class storytelling.
The title "Mountains Beyond Mountains" is a metaphor for life - once you have scaled one mountain (challenge), there are more to come. This is especially true for Paul Farmer, MD, who has devoted his life to what most people call "the impossible." He has faced mountain after mountain in his quest to help mankind.
Farmer starts out devoting his life to providing the most rudimentary medical care to impoverished Haitians (the shafted of the shafted). By age 27, he had treated more illnesses than most doctors would see in a lifetime. With time, he finds himself on the world stage trying to find a cure for drug resistant tuberculosis, undertaking the difficult role of a global fundraiser, and fighting big pharma for lower drug prices. He is a modern day medical hero.
For me, Farmer serves as a startling contrast to Robert K. Maloney, MD, the well known Los Angeles ophthalmologist who has been featured on TV's "Extreme Make-over." Maloney, who was profiled October 26, 2004 in the Wall Street Journal, said that after he completed his medical training, he came to a disquieting conclusion: "I really didn't like sick people." Maloney has since specialized in LASIK refractive surgery (considered cosmetic surgery) and pampers his patients with 25 person staff, and a suit-and-tie concierge who serves pastries and coffee in the waiting room. He then follows up after his patients return home with a gift box of gourmet chocolate chip cookies and a mug bearing the invitation, "Wake up and smell the coffee." He says he now earns more than the $1.2 million in salary and bonuses he made during his last year at UCLA (several years ago), but he won't say how much.
Farmer serves as reminder of what medicine aspired to be - the buck as only a means to an end....ending poverty, ending tuberculosis, ending the plight of many humans who cannot receive treatment from a qualified and trained doctor. Dr. Maloney serves as a reminder of what medicine has become - the buck and celebrity as ends. We should all get one of Maloney's mugs so we, too, can "Wake up and smell the coffee" ...before it is too late.
Read "Mountains Beyond Mountains," if only to regain hope of what medicine can be.
Tracy Kidder, in his telling of the life and work of Dr. Paul Farmer "Mountains Beyond Mountains," gives readers a multi-dimensional look at a man whose accomplishments are amazing and whose heart seems to know no boundaries. It is easy to tell that Kidder did his research - on the subjects that were discussed in the book (such as multi-drug resistant tuberculosis or Haitian politics) and on the subject of the book: Farmer. He interviewed numerous people including Farmer's relatives, friends, students, colleagues, and teachers, and included his impressions of his interactions with Farmer to give quite a comprehensive picture of such an important figure in public health, global health, and medicine. He also followed Farmer to places like Haiti, Peru, Russia, and Boston to show while Farmer's "roots" were in Haiti his concern for the poor was global.
In the book, there is an anecdote about a sign Kidder sees in one of the offices of Partners in Health (an organization that was co-founded by Farmer) that says: "If Paul is the model, we're golden" and that underneath the word "golden" there was another word underneath on another sheet of paper that had the word "f**ked" to give an alternative quote: "If Paul is the model, we're f**ked." I believe that this anecdote aptly describes how I felt as I read "Mountains Beyond Mountains." While I know that I could never do the things Farmer has done, I felt inspired to make a difference my own way. Farmer's story is one of compassion, drive, and of helping lives that inspires people to make their own contributions to causes they believe in.
This book is very accessible and its subject matter fascinating. I give it a full five stars!
Butler University in Indiana has required that all their incoming freshmen read MBM prior to orientation. Bravo! My high school French students sponsor a child in Haiti through Compassion International and we are reading it to gain insights into the culture there. But it has done more than that. It makes you THINK differently about how we view other people. Paul Farmer's aim is not just to educate, but to TRANSFORM. MBM is a "can't-put-it-down" incredible book. Tracey Kidder, the author, says, "The world is full of miserable places. One way of living comfortably is not to think about them, or when you do, to send money." Well, he sweated up and down the mountains trailing Paul Farmer to get this real and phenomenal story.
The mortality rate for children in Haiti is abominable. I think only 50% of the children reach their 5th birthday. Oprah and Mel Gibson should turn this story into a movie and broadcast it to the world....how a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Comma.
the positive things about this book (mentioned in other reviews) so far outweigh anything negative about this book or this man. It reminds me of what George Bernard Shaw said: The reasonable man adapts himself to the world - the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man.
This book has led me to adjust some of my most basic beliefs about what life is all about.
Yes, PIH is one of the world's best examples of aid to those in desperate need. Yes, Kidder's book dramatizes Paul Farmer's brilliant ability to function in both the medical edens and the hellholes of the world. However, three specific flaws in the book and its subject matter leap out at the lay reader.
First: For every doctor, nurse, aide, and benefactor that Farmer inspires, he may quite possibly alienate ten more by his arrogance and scorn for established medical and political resources. Farmer's tunnel-vision focus on specific cases and sites at the expense of international perspective seem to rob him of stature required to spearhead the fight against the tuberculosis pandemic, reducing his influence to that of a thorn in the side of the medical community. His apparent disinclination to cooperate with local government to effect vital infrastructure improvements such as repair of the main highway in Haiti (even though his own patron owned a construction company!) diminishes the effectiveness of his toil to a fraction of its potential.
Second: Tracy Kidder obviously kneels at the altar of Farmer's personality cult. While hero-worship buys Kidder a seat on Farmer's bus, to keep any semblance of fairness and perspective it should be balanced by some modicum of discussion about other medical programs which compete for the same resources and aim at similar goals. Kidder dismisses Farmer's subversion of legitimate medical funding and outright theft of equipment from American hospitals as impish pranks, while celebrating Farmer's careless neglect of his own personal health as selfless altruism instead of characterizing it as the senseless waste of Farmer's priceless time and productivity it is.
Third: This book missed a golden opportunity to educate readers (including myself) who need reminding about the history and political background of Haiti and other similarly disastrous products of the colonial era. Kidder flippantly ridicules the policies of both the U.S. government and international organizations, implying they are universally the results of incompetence, corruption, or at best selfish interest. It would have taken the author relatively little time to obtain and record the perspective of some of the many career diplomats and aid workers who have spent their careers struggling to stem the tide of oppression, poverty, and disease that Farmer so blithely wades through.
Paul Farmer, a brilliant medical anthropologist has expressed his deep love for people in poverty in Haiti. He has used his medical skills to help the underserved in his beloved Haiti, Russia and Peru. (among other nations)
As a nurse and a medical missionary who has been to Haiti, Dr. Farmer is well-respected. His hospital there for TB and HIV/AIDS patients is well-known and used by our organization. Dr. Farmer's determination to bring high quality health care to all people, regardless of income is a noble quest and one in which he has accomplished great strides. One person has made a difference in this world. He is among my personal heroes.
My favorite story from the book is when Dr. Farmer became frustrated reading a pamphlet from the World Health Organization on how to build a microscope using 3rd world materials. Throwing the pamphlet away in frustration, Dr. Farmer merely helped himself to a lab microscope from Harvard when he next visited the USA.
Dr. Farmer has brought First World medicine to the very edges of the earth. And, as I heard recently quoted, "If you aren't living on the edge, you're taking up too much space."
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Missed chances, June 22, 2005