Mountains Beyond Mountains

I am just finishing up Mountains Beyond Mountains, it took me a while to get through the entire book but I was very impressed with the writing. I wasn't sure what to expect from the book when I picked it up other then the fact that many people have purchased this book since it came out while I was working in New Haven. It is part of every bookstores paperback favorites table as well. The reason the book took me so long to read was because it is a very in depth story of Dr. Paul Farmer and his efforts to cure diseases throughout the world. This included some very in depth medical terms and information, but that did not detract from how much I enjoyed the book.

This book is a brilliant biography of Dr. Paul Farmer. It is exhilarating to read the selfless commitment of one man to change the suffering that millions of people in third world countries are experiencing. Farmer's accomplishments created the Partners in Health organization that in turn stimulated the World Health Organization to wake up to the disasters that are occuring in third world countries. He was successful at eventually supplying much needed medicines, cash, buildings and personnel to begin to make a change in the world health care. Kidder's gift as a writer lies not only in his detailed and well researched biography of a modern saint, but also in his ability to allow us to get to know the very human creature named Paul Farmer.

It is a touching story that demands our attention on many levels. Tracy Kidder's sharing of Dr. Paul Farmer's life is a poignant reminder that the individual CAN make a difference!