Mountains Beyond Mountains: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, a Man Who Would Cure the World

Pulitzer Prize winning author Tracy Kidder's Mountains Beyond Mountains presents a stunning portrait of Dr. Paul Farmer, a man who brings healthcare to the poverty-stricken masses. This engrossing and eminently readable account follows Farmer on his heroic journey, as he ventures from Haiti to Peru to Russia while bucking traditional methods in favor of his "one patient at a time" approach.
Kidder weaves a fascinating commentary, replete with tightly connected stories of poverty, inspiration, progress, and the true meaning of heroism. Farmer, who forsakes a very comfortable lifestyle as an affluent Boston doctor in order to follow his conscience, dedicates his life's work to providing "a preferential option for the poor" (Kidder 81). Farmer's wit, candor, and, most of all, humanity shine in the vignettes distributed throughout the narrative. After absorbing this disquieting tome, one cannot help but wonder how pragmatism and the market economy have discarded one of Farmer's most incontrovertible truths: "We're all human beings" (Kidder 80).
Kidder's narrative is somewhat distorted by the unabashed hero-worship contained within. But what makes this book shine is its human quality: the captivating blend of a man, his message, and his "oeuvre." I cannot imagine a more perfect book to open one's eyes and one's heart, and that is why I heartily recommend Mountains Beyond Mountains.

Dr. Paul Farmer, a graduate of Harvard Medical School, believes he has one primary goal in life: to help stop the epidemic of infectious diseases in countries with extreme poverty. Mountains Beyond Mountains is written by Pulitzer Prize winner Tracy Kidder, who gathered his information by traveling with Farmer and interviewing significant people in Farmer's life. Dr. Farmer's main priority is to treat and cure the destitute Haitians who have contracted tuberculosis and other infectious diseases. In order to achieve this goal, he establishes a health care center called Zanmi Lasante in the town Cange. Zanmi Lasante runs mostly on private donations made to Partners in Health, a charity Farmer started in Boston. One man that Partners in Health couldn't do without is big time Boston developer, Tom White. Farmer told Kidder that Tom White "had given millions over the years" (Kidder 21). Throughout the book, there is never a moment where Farmer doesn't work to the best of his ability, but he is still never content with the number of people he treats. Farmer states, "I can't sleep. There's always somebody not getting treatment. I can't stand that" (Kidder 24). This quote summarizes Farmer's philosophy and the true dedication for what he does.
Throughout Mountains Beyond Mountains, Partners in Health expands to Peru under the leadership of Farmer's good friend and fellow doctor, Jim Kim. Kim is instrumental in lowering the prices of modern treatment for lethal infectious diseases. Towards the end of Kidder's story, Farmer is still spending a lot of his time with patients in Haiti, but decides to expand his treatment to Russia. He travels to a Russian prison plagued with AIDS, tuberculosis, and multi-drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR).
While reading this story, one must remember that Farmer is dedicating his entire life to this purpose and gaining virtually nothing but the satisfaction of saving lives. His secretary in Partners in Health says it best: "Honey, you are the hardest working broke man I know" (Kidder 23). Tracy Kidder does an excellent job of putting together Mountains Beyond Mountains in a way that is both enjoyable and easy to read. After reading this masterpiece, Farmer's quest for justice and health care equality among all will motivate, shock, anger, and inspire the reader.

Mountains Beyond Mountains describes an epic life through factual statements and individual narrative accounts, while never losing the uncanny connection it has with its audience. Pulitzer Prize-winner Tracy Kidder's harrowing recounting of the life of Dr. Paul Farmer describes the fascinating struggle of a man who believes he can change the world...and does.
The subject of Kidder's observation is Dr. Paul Farmer, a smart, humorous man who "had graduated from Harvard Medical School and also had a Ph.D. in anthropology from Harvard" (Kidder 7). His personal accounts of his relationship with Farmer help Kidder to portray to the world something very close to a saint, but a very funny, human, and endearing saint. Combining medical facts with the more personal narratives of the patients and people that have made up Farmer's life, Kidder manages to create an engrossing look at one man's fight to save the world by providing healthcare to the poor while convincing us that it should be our fight too.
The vivid description and individual stories meld together to establish a fluid passage of lines that read almost like fiction. Through such descriptions, we learn of all the things that make Paul Farmer human and his quest so inspiring, "Farmer lingers beside the crib of a little girl with wasted arms and a torso bloated by pleural effusion [...]. He reaches in and strokes her shoulder, saying softly, almost singing, in English, `Michela wants to give up, but we're not going to let her are we? No, we're not going to let her'" (Kidder 31).
Here is a book that screams humanity and provokes us through the discomfort of our own comfortable lives; here is a book that is inspirational in reminding us that we are all people.

The novel Mountains Beyond Mountains, by Tracy Kidder, is a heart wrenching book that forces one to question they way they live their lives. It takes you on the journey of Paul Farmer, whose life mission is "providing a preferential [health] option for the poor" (Kidder 81). Farmer sacrifices his own comfort, and goes to some of the most destitute places in the world, such as the town of Cange in Haiti, to help provide the Poor's medical needs. Farmer treats all of his patients with respect, and gives them proper care no matter the cost. For example, he would give poor Haitian AIDS patients expensive drugs. He did this even when "No one else [...was] treating impoverished Haitians with new antiretroviral drugs" (Kidder 29). Paul's commitment to the poor makes a reader feel selfish and downright mean to the underprivileged. It forces the reader to realize how good their own life is and motivates them to use their own blessings to make a real difference in the world. Although the plot of the book is not very entertaining, it is an easy read and has a powerful message. I recommend this book to people who want to see how one person really can make the world a better place.

"Mountains Beyond Mountains" is a huge revelation for many of its readers. When reading this book you will soon learn about living in poverty. Kidder really describes the sights seen in a Haitian town, full of many diseases and where death at a young age is not uncommon. He tells the life of Dr. Paul Farmer and the challenges he over comes to help cure Haiti and other parts in the world from TB and other diseases.
When you first start reading this book you realize how good your life is. Kidder explains that when Farmer goes down to Haiti he first starts working at a hospital that can't even store blood transfusions. After watching a patients die because of the lack of a blood transfusion Farmer says, "I'm going to build my own f**king hospital" (Kidder 81). This is where Farmer's life in Haiti really begins. He starts his own hospital, curing as many patients as he can and spending most of his money on the supplies and gifts for his patients. Through out the book Farmer demonstrates his drive and determination to rid these poverty-stricken nations of disease. Many people who are acquainted with Farmer asks how Farmer does all of this and Kidder's response is "I think in Farmer's case the answer lies somewhere in the apparent craziness, the sheer impracticality, of half of everything he does," (Kidder 296).
Even though this book can be a difficult read at times, it is an important story. You don't have to be interested in medicine to enjoy this book because there are many more lessons that you can learn from reading it. For instance, you will learn to put others before yourself. This book will inspire you to be the best person you can be and to try to make a difference in the world.