Mountains Beyond Mountains

Rating:
Summary: One Man's Quest To Make A Difference
Review: In a world teeming with five billion souls, can one person make a difference? Tracy Kidder's latest book, "Mountains Beyond Mountains," answers that question with a resounding "yes." This is the story of Dr. Paul Farmer, described in the subtitle as "a man who would cure the world." An audacious claim, to be sure, but one that Kidder backs up in the 300-plus pages that follow.

Once again, Kidder has brought all his storytelling ability to bear on a saga that manages to illuminate the basic values we live by. Farmer had an unconventional childhood to say the least, having spent much of it living on a converted bus. In medical school, Farmer found a purpose for his life. The story first unfolds in the country where Farmer made his initial mark, and where his heart remains, Haiti. Kidder--and by extension, the reader--then travels with Farmer as his growing stature leads to his work expanding to Peru, Cuba and Russia. Although treating individual patients will always be a significant part of Farmer's lifework, it's clear that he also has a role to play on the world stage. His leadership and determination are being brought to bear on the frightening spread of MDR tuberculosis (MDR is shorthand for a multi-drug resistant strain of the disease.)

Kidder is a truly outstanding observer and reporter. It's obvious he's managed to win the confidence of Farmer, his family, close associates and others in telling the story. The author is an active observer and participant in the narrative, and while he guides the reader toward certain conclusions, he manages to avoid strident sermonizing or philosophizing. It shows a definite respect for the intelligence of the audience.

Dr. Farmer may be known to some readers--he's a former recipient of a McArthur Foundation "genius grant" and has been interviewed on 60 Minutes. But whether this is an introduction or reintroduction, the man who emerges from these pages has a remarkable depth that has only been known to his intimates until now. All his superhuman qualities are there, along with a few very human traits as well. It will be a stone-hearted reader who isn't moved and angered by the inequalities that Dr. Farmer, through his patients, confronts every day of his life. And only that sort of person could fail to be inspired by the remarkable example of character, courage and commitment that this man lives each day of his life.

Rating:
Summary: One Man's Quest To Make A Difference
Review: In a world teeming with five billion souls, can one person make a difference? Tracy Kidder's latest book, "Mountains Beyond Mountains," answers that question with a resounding "yes." This is the story of Dr. Paul Farmer, described in the subtitle as "a man who would cure the world." An audacious claim, to be sure, but one that Kidder backs up in the 300-plus pages that follow.

Once again, Kidder has brought all his storytelling ability to bear on a saga that manages to illuminate the basic values we live by. Farmer had an unconventional childhood to say the least, having spent much of it living on a converted bus. In medical school, Farmer found a purpose for his life. The story first unfolds in the country where Farmer made his initial mark, and where his heart remains, Haiti. Kidder--and by extension, the reader--then travels with Farmer as his growing stature leads to his work expanding to Peru, Cuba and Russia. Although treating individual patients will always be a significant part of Farmer's lifework, it's clear that he also has a role to play on the world stage. His leadership and determination are being brought to bear on the frightening spread of MDR tuberculosis (MDR is shorthand for a multi-drug resistant strain of the disease.)

Kidder is a truly outstanding observer and reporter. It's obvious he's managed to win the confidence of Farmer, his family, close associates and others in telling the story. The author is an active observer and participant in the narrative, and while he guides the reader toward certain conclusions, he manages to avoid strident sermonizing or philosophizing. It shows a definite respect for the intelligence of the audience.

Dr. Farmer may be known to some readers--he's a former recipient of a McArthur Foundation "genius grant" and has been interviewed on 60 Minutes. But whether this is an introduction or reintroduction, the man who emerges from these pages has a remarkable depth that has only been known to his intimates until now. All his superhuman qualities are there, along with a few very human traits as well. It will be a stone-hearted reader who isn't moved and angered by the inequalities that Dr. Farmer, through his patients, confronts every day of his life. And only that sort of person could fail to be inspired by the remarkable example of character, courage and commitment that this man lives each day of his life.

Rating:
Summary: Mountains Beyond Mountains
Review: In a world where it is easy to feel as though we are helpless in the face of everyday violence, war, greed, and inhumanity, the story of Dr. Paul Farmer and his colleagues is an important reminder of the power within all of us to contribute to a better, more just world. I suspect many people who read this book begin it with little or no knowledge of Haiti's history nor of its desperate situation today (not something we see in school curriculums!) and so the book also serves as a great "primer" for readers on Haiti and the impact of US policy there. Tracy Kidder does an excellent job of allowing us to "shadow" the steps of Paul Farmer as he moves in Haiti and around the world. I think Kidder's detailing of his own evolving relationship with Paul Farmer is particularly well done. He does an excellent job of chronicling the details of personalities, individuals, and events without ever letting the reader lose sight of the larger global context in which they are situated.

Rating:
Summary: Not a Saint-more interesting than that.
Review: Kidder's penetration of what makes Dr. Paul Farmer tick provides a profound insite into the healing process for people and society. This book will make you rethink a lot of stuff. It is not another testimonial to somebody with saintly characteristics. Paul Farmer is amazing, and also amazingly complex. It's a book one definetely rereads.

Rating:
Summary: As close as you'll get without going there
Review: Kidder's work, Mountains Beyond Mountains, paints an accurate picture of medical care, health issues, and the challenges faced daily by millions of destitute Haitians, by highlighting the experiences of Dr. Paul Farmer. The book is quite representative of the sad state of affairs in present day Haiti. That Dr. Farmer has been able to implement in a small way a solution to some of the problems in central Haiti, in spite of all the challenges that have presented themselves, mountains beyond mountains, if you will, is profoundly inspiring. It is remarkable that this tenacious advocate for the poor has been able to maintain his comittment to his work in Haiti and around the world. The story of Dr. Farmer and his work is gripping. Once you begin you will be unable to put the book down.

Rating:
Summary: Truly a FIVE-STAR book.
Review: Let's face it, grade-inflation plagues amazon.com. I mean, really, how many five-star books are there? Well, "Mountains Beyond Mountains" is one. The only regret I have about this book is that when I finished reading it, I sighed as I realized it would probably be a long, long time until I could find a book that was as engrossing and challenging. Here are some recommendations on what to read after you finish with the story of Dr. Paul Farmer. Try and find "Not All of Us Are Saints: A Doctor's Journey with the Poor" by David Hilfiker. Check out "Loaves and Fishes" by the legendary Dorothy Day. Finally, read "All on Fire: William Garrison and the Abolition of Slavery" by Henry Mayer. Enjoy!

Rating:
Summary: Disappointed
Review: Mountains Beyond Mountains was not what I had hoped. Kidder is one of my favorite authors, and his subject in this book obviously of great importance. His portarait of Dr. Farmer was convincing and powerful. I agree with all those positive reviews that Dr. Farmer is doing great work, and that the book presents a moral challenge that the reader must confront.
\The problem, for me, was in the book itself. I felt way too much time was spent focused on Dr. Farmer -- after a hundred pages I was ready to accept all the postivie things about him and move on. I thought Mr. Kidder was far too present in this book -- each time he referred to himself it jarred me from the flow of the story. Mr. Kidder seemed to be working too hard to present his own conclusions about Dr. Farmer's work; the author left little room for the reader to make judgments and draw conclusions. I had trouble shaking the image in my head of Mr. Kidder following Dr. Farmer around with a notebook writing down all the awe-inspriing things he saw.
I thought the book reached its absolute low point when Mr. Kidder was in Cuba worried if Dr. Farmer still liked him. All of the interjections like these made the book less than I would have liked. When three people in Haiti died, Mr. Kidder told us that it made Dr. Farmer feel bad, and instead of focusing on the three who died, seemed to be using the incident as a way of illustrating Dr. Farmer's compassion. I didn't need the author to do that for me.
I would have preferred much more about the actual people in Haiti, the prisoners in Russia, the poor in Peru. The story of John at the end of the work was exceptional; it had power of its own without being put in the shadow of Dr. Farmer and Mr. Kidder. This episode was what I had hoped the book would be.
Perhaps I am wrong to criticize the book because it isn't the way I wanted it to be. I am glad I learned about Dr. Farmer and his important work. I don't think, though, that I will be recommending this book to my friends.

Rating:
Summary: Ugh.
Review: Okay, Farmer's a genius/saint--that's a given.
But this book reads like a piece of hackwork.
Kidder follows Farmer around, one imagines, genuflecting.
The book lacks any critical/insightful analysis of Paul Farmer, and is more like a school boy's puff piece on his favorite athlete.
(When Kidder says something that Farmer disagrees with, Kidder immediately regrets having spoken, writing that he feels he's punched Farmer in the stomach. Give me a break.)
Geez, do I regret purchasing this book.
This is less a book about Paul Farmer, and more a book about Tracy Kidder, who seems like a wet rag.
(We get to read about Kidder's concern when he feels a fluttering behind his nipple. A fluttering behind his nipple?!)
Lastly, Farmer, God bless him and his work, comes off having some pretty annoying personality traits.
And by the way, isn't Tracy a girl's name?

Rating:
Summary: I nominate Paul Farmer for sainthood
Review: Pulitzer Prize winner Tracy Kidder tells us about Dr. Paul Farmer, an infectious disease specialist who has been working in Haiti since 1982. Farmer founded an apolitical organization that's the only source of medical care for hundreds of thousands of peasants. For his Herculean efforts, in 1993 he received a Genius Grant from the MacArthur Foundation - and of course he plowed the money right back into his organization.
That Farmer has chosen this path is not so surprising when one considers his unconventional childhood, which included living on a leaky boat and in a bus. As a scholarship student at Duke (anthropology major), he worked in the NC tobacco fields with Haitians. After graduation, he spent a year in Haiti and then went to Harvard Medical School. He's married and has a child, but he sees them infrequently; he rarely sleeps, is a workaholic (duh!), and seems to inspire an uncommon degree of devotion among his coworkers and his patients.
Buy this book, and be aware that part of your money will doubtless find its way back to Haiti. Then send an additional donation to Partners in Health.

Rating:
Summary: The long defeat
Review: Read this book and be ready to have your assumptions jarred and to think again about what is possible for one man to accomplish.

Our society is based on always going for the win. Dr. Farmer works outside that parameter. He doesn't expect to win. "We want to be on the winning team, but at the risk of turning our backs on the losers, no, it's not worth it. So you fight the long defeat." "I don't care if we lose, I'm gonna try to do the right thing...And then all the victories are gravy, you know?"

"The best thing about Paul Farmer is those hikes." Dr. Paul Farmer walks four hours to do a home visit for one child. He had already cured the child, but the child is part of a system, a family and home. The system also has to be treated for the child to stay well. "You have to believe that small gestures matter, that they do add up."

That to me was the most amazing thing about this book. Farmer travels the world raising money, speading the word of the need for treatment of drug resistant TB, setting up programs in other countries, yet he always comes back to the most important thing of treating one person at a time and improving their individual surroundings.

Farmer doesn't play by the rules, doesn't wait for approval or outside help, he works non-stop and is grateful when help arrives. As other reviewers have suggested, contributions sent to Paul Farmer will be used for the nitty gritty, no high paid executives here.

As an aside, this book is interesting reading currently due to the recent events in Haiti.