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4.2 AVERAGE
4.2 AVERAGE
I re-read this after hearing of Paul Farmer's passing. This is solidly a 3.5 stars for me. Paul Farmer is clearly a great human who has made a great impact on health and Haiti, my rating is not a reflection of him at all- he still stands as one of the few people who I would classify as a modern hero.
This took me a few weeks to read, I had a slow slog through, which is why I rated it the way I did. Tracy Kidder does a good job of not making this dense or slow, so it may have just been my mood, a bad time for me to pick up this book.
Overall, I'd recommend this book to others. Paul Farmer and his work is important and very interesting to read about.
This took me a few weeks to read, I had a slow slog through, which is why I rated it the way I did. Tracy Kidder does a good job of not making this dense or slow, so it may have just been my mood, a bad time for me to pick up this book.
Overall, I'd recommend this book to others. Paul Farmer and his work is important and very interesting to read about.
I read for entertainment and this selection from my local book club has zero entertainment value but it is a tragic account of the long defeat of the humanitarian efforts of James Farmer in his herculean efforts to aid such efforts as the treatment of Multiple Drug Resistant TB in Haiti, Peru and Russia; however apparently successful in Cuba. Our contemporary society enjoys exorbitantly expensive entertainments in sports and music but there are no funds to treat the impoverished and indigent needs in so many underprivileged nations and there seems to be no solution.
His childhood was not that one of a dysfunctional family but certainly a quirky one but he achieved an impressive medical and caring adult career.
Eighter from Decatur, county seat of Wise (of course it's in Texas!)
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challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
While Tracy Kidder does a good job of following Paul Farmer around through his remarkable life, Tracy Farmer seemed to involve himself in the story almost more than his main character. Paul Farmer is still a hero for the poor and particularly the Haitians, but I wouldn't recommend this as a magnificent read.
Great book about the Partners in Health founder. It really gets you thinking about public health, poverty and inequality, and the power people have to make a difference.
informative
reflective
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
What an amazing man Dr. Paul Farmer was. This story was truly eye opening about the battle against tuberculosis and the many facets that play a part in it. Beyond the scientific and logistical side of things, this book provides a lot of philosophical questions to sit with and think on as far as personal values go. Truly a standout non-fiction book that reads as though it might be fiction. Also, taught us what scrofula was which came in handy at the Tenement Museum.
While I like the idea of this book and really appreciate the accomplishments that everyone was able to achieve, I just didn't like the book. Although it's about Dr. Farmer and his accomplishments, which I think are incredible, he/his "character" just didn't come across as likeable. I know that's not the point, but to me it was obvious and somewhat awkward that the author didn't always see eye to eye or sometimes thought him to be a bit harsh. His overzealous-ness came in handy and helped him do a lot for a lot of people who need it, but there was just something really unrelatable and unlikeable about him to me.
5 stars for the world-changing these people did. 2 stars for the actual book.
5 stars for the world-changing these people did. 2 stars for the actual book.
This was a difficult book for me to get into, it’s very fact heavy. I got a lot out of learning about Haiti, Paul, and the medical industrial complex.