Mountains Beyond Mountains: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, a Man Who Would Cure the World by Tracy Kidder Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Mountains Beyond Mountains: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, a Man Who Would Cure the World
Book Review: Proof that one man can make a difference
Summary: 5 Stars
This is an incredibly well-written biography of a man so remarkable that it's hard to believe he's still working his miracles in this venal old world.
Paul Farmer grew up in an eccentric (to understate it!) family. With brains aplenty, he earned an advanced degree in anthropology AND an MD at Harvard. Concurrently. And, during his residency, he spent half of his time in Haiti treating patients at a clinic he founded. He was also at the top of his medical class in every regard. By age 27, he had treated more illnesses than most doctors would see in a lifetime.
Other than brains, Farmer's most marked attribute is his understanding of poverty and his abiding belief that one man can make a difference. He is a hands-on doctor who thinks nothing of hiking 7 hours through the wasteland of central Haiti to verify that a TB patient is taking his meds and then examining and treating everyone who appears in the hut's doorway to see Dr. Paul. Or of challenging and thereby changing the World Health Organization's protocol on treating multidrug-resistant TB. Or of achieving the impossible: getting American pharmaceutical companies to lower drug prices by 90+ percent for his patients. Or of getting into Siberian prisons and convincing Russian officials to treat prisoners' HIV/AIDS and TB. He accomplishes this on almost zero dollars. In the midst of all this, Farmer makes time to speak at numerous international conferences, recruit volunteers, and return to Mass General where he is a renowned teacher and diagnostician, worshipped by patients and students alike. But he always goes back to his beloved clinic in Haiti. Still, Farmer is a most modest man----smart, funny, continually teaching everyone around him--patients, colleagues, and itinerant biographers alike.
Farmer represents not only what medicine and doctors could be, but what Man could be. I do truly suspect that he is a saint. Literally. I also suspect that spending even a day with Farmer would be a life-changing event. Highly, highly recommended.
Book Review: What a brilliant person
Summary: 4 Stars
Reading about Dr. Farmer, made me realize there are some people who's brains out surpass the rest of the worlds, and here is a person who is using his extreme intelligence to the good of man kind. I found the book to read like a fiction novel, it doesn't seem possible to have a person so dedicated to the welfare of so many people. His interest in the people as individuales was amazing. A good read for just about anybody. Book Review: Truly inspiring
Summary: 5 Stars
Dr. Paul Farmer is one person I would love to meet. He has become a hero to us here at BioImmersion. I highly recommend reading his book as it will inspire you to have faith again: Good people do indeed exist and are working hard to alleviate suffering, and that you can also become one, helping and inspiring the world in your own way. The book is not only for people in the health and medical arenas but also for anyone who has eyes to see suffering and a heart willing to hear a call. A must read.
Dohrea Bardell
Mountains Beyond Mountains: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, a Man Who Would Cure the World
Book Review: Mandatory reading for any thoughtful person
Summary: 5 Stars
Truly a life changing book. It illustrates how each of us, as individuals, need not be paralyzed by the magnitude of the disparities and injustices that exist in the world. In a subtle, non-preachy way, it conveys the message of the old Nike ad: Just do it. Book Review: Best book ever!
Summary: 5 Stars
Dr. Paul Farmer is a phenomenal man, and this book lays out all of the wonderful things he has done, as well as his ideologies, which are primarily based on Catholic Social teaching. Great book, everyone should read it.