Take a photo of a barcode or cover
donnawr1 's review for:
Mountains Beyond Mountains
by Tracy Kidder
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.