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4.2 AVERAGE
4.2 AVERAGE
A very fine book that will make you feel utterly inadequate for the ways in which you have wasted nearly every opportunity you have been given to save the world.
Dr. Paul Farmer is a man of huge energy, enormous ambition, blithe disregard for commonly accepted normality, and absolutely no compunction about pissing you off in the process. His only aim is to help the poor, starving, underserved people of this world get what they need. You are either on his bus or off his bus and if it's the latter, he doesn't much care, but you need to stay out of his way. Kidder does an excellent job of bringing this story to the forefront.
Which is not to say Farmer is bossy or pushy—he doesn't need to be. He is just single-minded. There is one question: is what we are doing helping someone who is poor or sick or otherwise deserving? If yes, good. If no, bad. Simple. Don't disturb him with questions of practicality, proportion (they spend $20,000 to transport one gravely ill child, for instance), the balance of resources to need, or any of that stuff. Just do it. And for him, it is working.
Beginning in Haiti, then moving on to Peru and eventually to efforts all over the world, his organization, Partners In Health, is bringing to those who need it the clean water, health care, shelter, and other essentials their own governments and the assistance of other, richer countries such as ours have not been able to pull off. It is an admirable effort, if not entirely replicable (though Farmer would challenge this assertion) because it is based so much on the force of one person's personality.
But, hey, far be it from me to gainsay him any advance he might be making. God knows we have done far too little for far too long. I will now return to feeling entirely inadequate.
Dr. Paul Farmer is a man of huge energy, enormous ambition, blithe disregard for commonly accepted normality, and absolutely no compunction about pissing you off in the process. His only aim is to help the poor, starving, underserved people of this world get what they need. You are either on his bus or off his bus and if it's the latter, he doesn't much care, but you need to stay out of his way. Kidder does an excellent job of bringing this story to the forefront.
Which is not to say Farmer is bossy or pushy—he doesn't need to be. He is just single-minded. There is one question: is what we are doing helping someone who is poor or sick or otherwise deserving? If yes, good. If no, bad. Simple. Don't disturb him with questions of practicality, proportion (they spend $20,000 to transport one gravely ill child, for instance), the balance of resources to need, or any of that stuff. Just do it. And for him, it is working.
Beginning in Haiti, then moving on to Peru and eventually to efforts all over the world, his organization, Partners In Health, is bringing to those who need it the clean water, health care, shelter, and other essentials their own governments and the assistance of other, richer countries such as ours have not been able to pull off. It is an admirable effort, if not entirely replicable (though Farmer would challenge this assertion) because it is based so much on the force of one person's personality.
But, hey, far be it from me to gainsay him any advance he might be making. God knows we have done far too little for far too long. I will now return to feeling entirely inadequate.
all in all a good read- i liked the stories, but in some sections i felt it was a little dry. overall subject matter was very interesting and paul farmer sure was an interesting person and had such wonderful intentions.
The story of an amazing man and his accomplishments far and wide. We should all take note; this is how to live with grace and compassion.
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
This book made me want to go out and adopt babies from Haiti! It gave me a really fascinating glimpse into the world of medicine. I also felt inspired to be a better person (cheesy, I know!) Dr. Paul Farmer has devoted his entire life/fame/fortune to this tiny, very poor corner of Haiti. His cure rate for TB, at his hospital in Haiti is HIGHER and CHEAPER than at his other hospital...... The Brigham in Boston! A fascinating converging of Harvard and Haiti.
This was a strange way to create a biography of Paul Farmer, a doctor who decided to treat the poorest of people in Haiti, then in other countries, and to be their advocate to the rich, Western world. The author followed Paul around for many years, often trecking with him up and down mountains in Haiti, as he tried to figure out what made Paul Farmer tick and whether he was for real (yes). One can't help but admire a person with such selfless devotion to other people, but you wouldn't really want to be in his family, because you would come second. He was so driven and took such an extreme moral high ground, that he often came off in the book as difficult to work with unless you were also willing to drive yourself to something similar to what he did. So, the book shows both the grand side of Paul Farmer, as well as the human side. I never heard of him, or the organization that sprang from his work, Partners in Health, before, but I am impressed at what he and they accomplished. And yes, this organization survived him, as sadly, Paul died suddenly in 2022. The world would be a better place if there were more people like Paul Farmer in it, as it was amazing what he was able to accomplish against all odds. How many thousands or more human beings owe their lives to him? Now I'd like to read some of what he wrote himself, rather than the interpretation of Tracy Kidder.
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
Excellently written and a miraculous story. Paul Farmer is a man people should look up to, and his invaluable work has contributed greatly to tikkun olam.