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At the center of Mountains Beyond Mountains stands Paul Farmer. Doctor,
Harvard professor, renowned infectious-disease specialist, anthropologist,
the recipient of a MacArthur "genius" grant, world-class Robin Hood, Farmer
was brought up in a bus and on a boat, and in medical school found his life's
calling: to diagnose and cure infectious diseases and to bring the lifesaving
tools of modern medicine to those who need them most. This magnificent book
shows how radical change can be fostered in situations that seem insurmountable,
and it also shows how a meaningful life can be created, as Farmer--brilliant,
charismatic, charming, both a leader in international health and a doctor
who finds time to make house calls in Boston and the mountains of Haiti--blasts
through convention to get results.
Mountains Beyond Mountains takes us from Harvard to Haiti, Peru, Cuba, and
Russia as Farmer changes minds and practices through his dedication to the
philosophy that "the only real nation is humanity" - a philosophy that is
embodied in the small public charity he founded, Partners In Health. He
enlists the help of the Gates Foundation, George Soros, the U.N.'s World
Health Organization, and others in his quest to cure the world. At the heart
of this book is the example of a life based on hope, and on an understanding
of the truth of the Haitian proverb "Beyond mountains there are mountains":
as you solve one problem, another problem presents itself, and so you go
on and try to solve that one too.
This powerful and inspiring book shows how one person can make a difference,
as Kidder tells the true story of a gifted man who is in love with the world
and has set out to do all he can to cure it. |
