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4.2 AVERAGE
4.2 AVERAGE
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
I just finished (this morning) reading Tracy Kidder’s book, Mountains Beyond Mountains: The Quest for Dr. Paul Farmer, A Man Who Would Cure the World. To use an oft-abused cliche: if you read just one book this year (or in your life), read this book! I studied Paul Farmer’s work when I was a graduate student in anthropology and I had the opportunity to meet him after a talk he gave at my undergraduate school. He’s a remarkable individual and this biography of his life is simply superb. It’s almost a guide on how to be a human being. Farmer’s not about megalomania or personal enrichment. He’s just a person out there helping the poor because that’s what you need to do. Farmer, through his work, talks, and experiences, shows us that that many diseases are not individual problems but often arise out of larger economic and political inequalities. Treatments shouldn’t be based on cost-effectiveness or appropriate technology for the geographic or demographic group you’re working with. That just creates classes of people, creating artificial dichotomies of the deserving and undeserving. We’re all human beings and we all deserve access to quality heath care.
Two last things: (1) read some of Dr. Farmer’s own works, such as [b:Infections and Inequalities|10233|Infections and Inequalities The Modern Plagues|Paul Farmer|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166152608s/10233.jpg|12952]: The Modern Plagues; and (2) Tracy Kidder’s book is a fast & fabulous read. It’s a page-turner and you’ll fly through it and be glad you read it.
Two last things: (1) read some of Dr. Farmer’s own works, such as [b:Infections and Inequalities|10233|Infections and Inequalities The Modern Plagues|Paul Farmer|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166152608s/10233.jpg|12952]: The Modern Plagues; and (2) Tracy Kidder’s book is a fast & fabulous read. It’s a page-turner and you’ll fly through it and be glad you read it.
Wow. This book actually made me very, very depressed about my own life. I kind of feel like the scum of the earth. I don't think that was the book's intention, to highlight my own selfish insignificance, but there it is, folks. Also, Paul Farmer is my hero.
The author shadowed Dr. Paul Farmer, interviewed him and people who know him and wrote an inspirational book about the difference one man can make. I could not help but be inspired by what I read and hope that I will give as much dedication to my passions as Dr. Paul Farmer gives to his. One quote by the doctor sums up his life. Dr. Farmer and the author, Tracy Kidder, traveled to Cuba where Dr. Farmer gave some presentations and discussed tuberculosis and AIDS with other doctors. When they arrive Dr. Farmer says he will sleep well that night because there were enough doctors in Cuba to meet the needs of the patients. This was not the case in most places he went. He is a loving and caring doctor who wants to help EVERYONE in need and does his best to do so. He is a great example of giving love to each personal individually and seeing the value in each human. I give him 5 stars for his work!
The way that the story is told was a little bit dry. It felt more like a travel log then a book with a story arch. I appreciate the author telling this story and I did enjoy the book but it was just a bit harder to get through then I would have liked for such an amazing story.
The way that the story is told was a little bit dry. It felt more like a travel log then a book with a story arch. I appreciate the author telling this story and I did enjoy the book but it was just a bit harder to get through then I would have liked for such an amazing story.
The gift of this book is in the narrative of the work Paul Farmer has done - inspirational does not begin to describe him. However, there were a few times the story felt a bit sensationalized; hence the 4 stars instead of 5.
A truly remarkable man. The basis of his life's work is his "preferential option for the poor" which has been described in this way:
The concept of “a preferential option for the poor” challenges us to be advocates for the voiceless and powerless among us. Those who are in any way and for any reason deprived, marginalized, or vulnerable have a special moral claim on the community. As a matter of both justice and charity, we must put in place structures and systems to address and meet their needs, so that they might participate more fully in the common good and thereby flourish more fully as human persons
The concept of “a preferential option for the poor” challenges us to be advocates for the voiceless and powerless among us. Those who are in any way and for any reason deprived, marginalized, or vulnerable have a special moral claim on the community. As a matter of both justice and charity, we must put in place structures and systems to address and meet their needs, so that they might participate more fully in the common good and thereby flourish more fully as human persons