Mountains Beyond Mountains: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, a Man Who Would Cure the World
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- Create Date：2022-02-23 00:21:36
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Tracy Kidder
- ISBN：0812980557
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Summary
This compelling and inspiring book， now in a deluxe paperback edition， shows how one person can work wonders。 In Mountains Beyond Mountains， Pulitzer Prize--winning author Tracy Kidder tells the true story of a gifted man who loves the world and has set out to do all he can to cure it。
In medical school， Paul Farmer found his life's calling: to cure infectious diseases and to bring the lifesaving tools of modern medicine to those who need them most。 Kidder's magnificent account 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。" 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。
"Mountains Beyond Mountains unfolds with a force of gathering revelation，" says Annie Dillard， and Jonathan Harr notes， "[Paul Farmer] wants to change the world。 Certainly this luminous and powerful book will change the way you see it。"
In medical school， Paul Farmer found his life's calling: to cure infectious diseases and to bring the lifesaving tools of modern medicine to those who need them most。 Kidder's magnificent account 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。" 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。
"Mountains Beyond Mountains unfolds with a force of gathering revelation，" says Annie Dillard， and Jonathan Harr notes， "[Paul Farmer] wants to change the world。 Certainly this luminous and powerful book will change the way you see it。"
Reviews
Maria Leiva
，
Dr。 Paul Farmer's work with PIH and the dedication he had to helping those around him is admirable。 His work in Haiti， Peru， Russia， and the US will forever be remembered and try to be replicated。 The world will miss him and his determination to fix the inequities that exist in health， may he rest in peace。 Dr。 Paul Farmer's work with PIH and the dedication he had to helping those around him is admirable。 His work in Haiti， Peru， Russia， and the US will forever be remembered and try to be replicated。 The world will miss him and his determination to fix the inequities that exist in health， may he rest in peace。 。。。more
Ria
，
I started this book for a class not really expecting much of it， but finished it so revitalized and energized about global health。 I knew about Partners in Health as an organization but I never knew the impact Dr。 Paul Farmer had on so many people and communities across the world。 He was an advent of social justice and its so hard to come by people that are as dedicated as he was to ensuring that every person， regardless of their background， have access to medical care。 I finished the book on th I started this book for a class not really expecting much of it， but finished it so revitalized and energized about global health。 I knew about Partners in Health as an organization but I never knew the impact Dr。 Paul Farmer had on so many people and communities across the world。 He was an advent of social justice and its so hard to come by people that are as dedicated as he was to ensuring that every person， regardless of their background， have access to medical care。 I finished the book on the day that he， unfortunately， passed away。 I wish I had known about Dr。 Farmer's work before and met him because he has now played such a influenced the type of health care practitioner I hope to one day be。 。。。more
Erin Mae Lewis
，
I just learned that Dr Paul Farmer passed away and immediately remembered reading this book about him in college。 It has had a huge impact on my worldview as a small business owner and community member。
Mauricio Torres-Martinez
，
"[。。。] 'unglamorous scut work' is the secret to successful projects like Cange and Carabayllo [。。。] another secret: a reluctance to do scut work is why a lot of my peers don't stick with this kind of work""Individual patients get forgotten， and what seems like a small problem gets ignored， until it grows large， like MDR。 'If you focus on individual patients'， Jim Kim says， 'you can't get sloppy'"。 "[。。。] 'unglamorous scut work' is the secret to successful projects like Cange and Carabayllo [。。。] another secret: a reluctance to do scut work is why a lot of my peers don't stick with this kind of work""Individual patients get forgotten， and what seems like a small problem gets ignored， until it grows large， like MDR。 'If you focus on individual patients'， Jim Kim says， 'you can't get sloppy'"。 。。。more
Mwlcong
，
Fascinating story of a good hearted doctors。
Jazmin Gonzalez
，
I read this book for my Global Health class and it was good。 I enjoyed reading it， although it was a rather slow read for me。 Through the book， I learned about Dr。 Paul Farmer， who I had actually never heard of before！ He is an American doctor that founded Partners in Health and Zanmi Lastante （a hospital type system） in Haiti， among many other accomplishments in the realm of global health。 The interesting thing is that Farmer was able to accomplish massive public health successes while simultan I read this book for my Global Health class and it was good。 I enjoyed reading it， although it was a rather slow read for me。 Through the book， I learned about Dr。 Paul Farmer， who I had actually never heard of before！ He is an American doctor that founded Partners in Health and Zanmi Lastante （a hospital type system） in Haiti， among many other accomplishments in the realm of global health。 The interesting thing is that Farmer was able to accomplish massive public health successes while simultaneously rejecting many of the founding principles of global health like the notion of "cost-effectiveness"。 The best part of the book is coming to understand Farmer's beliefs little by little and how they transferred to PIH and other also other projects he has been involved in。 His ideology is one I really respect， and I like his approach to taking about poverty and the critiques he makes of the way we talk about poor people in the global south， especially in public health conversations。 Also， for Americans， it requires us to change our mindset and actually begin caring for people in other countries because they are human。 Not because of foreign policy or economic incentives， but simply because “the only real nation is humanity”。 As far as the actual book， it was very well written。 Kidder provided the information to understand many the context of many events that Farmer was involved in， namely the historical context of Haiti。 Additionally， I enjoyed his use of direct quotes and anecdotes， he had a very good way of making it all flow together。 Overall， I think that this book is a great introduction to global health。 It outlines some of the key actors in global health and the bureaucracy involved in the them。 As well as it touches on HIV/AIDS and Tuberculosis/MDR TB， which are also some of the most important diseases in global health。 。。。more
James Matter
，
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Jeremy Bowman
，
I learnt about The prowess of Doctor Razor Traditional Herbal Medicine Through my PCD， their treatment is a miracle and it can Obliterate Every Virus ， which happened in my case of Herpes Simplex， My test result came out negative Twice from Different Hospitals。 I tested negative to the virus after the recommended treatment plan。 I am now HSV 2 free！ WhatsApp Him On +2349065420442 。 He Also Has the Herbs to Obliterate Other Virus 。Contact Them through their website : https://herbalistrazorherb。wi I learnt about The prowess of Doctor Razor Traditional Herbal Medicine Through my PCD， their treatment is a miracle and it can Obliterate Every Virus ， which happened in my case of Herpes Simplex， My test result came out negative Twice from Different Hospitals。 I tested negative to the virus after the recommended treatment plan。 I am now HSV 2 free！ WhatsApp Him On +2349065420442 。 He Also Has the Herbs to Obliterate Other Virus 。Contact Them through their website : https://herbalistrazorherb。wixsite。co。。。 。。。more
Luke
，
An excellent book。 An excellent doctor。 A must read。
nik
，
I waited all day to come home to be able to type this review up。。。。 I literally had no clue what this book was about as it was a loan from a friend （thanks ant <3）， but I finished this book last night and I'm so glad I found it！ While I understand the things accomplished by Farmer personally are unrealistic and outlandish， it's nice to know at the very least that there are other people who believe in health equity as much as he does。 There was a lot to take in with this book with both the TB and I waited all day to come home to be able to type this review up。。。。 I literally had no clue what this book was about as it was a loan from a friend （thanks ant <3）， but I finished this book last night and I'm so glad I found it！ While I understand the things accomplished by Farmer personally are unrealistic and outlandish， it's nice to know at the very least that there are other people who believe in health equity as much as he does。 There was a lot to take in with this book with both the TB and Aids crisis and I thought the portrayals of both were really digestible。 As someone who wants to center my career around social justice medicine， I often hear discouraging statements about how unrealistic affordable healthcare for all is。 Reading about Farmer's haphazard methods of treating every patient no matter what the cost really renewed my faith that there are others out there who care about this cause， and that when push comes to shove， providers have a shot to make it happen for their patients。 His passion and advocacy for his patients as well as everyone else in PIH jumped off the page and was so refreshing to read。 A very enjoyable read overall， I really appreciated Kidder's honest portrayal of Farmer， flaws and unorthodox methods included。 Definitely recommending it to all my fellow nerd friends :） 。。。more
Deb
，
Fantastic and hopeful- everyone should read and live their lives with this in mind。
Coco Jane
，
I love books that make me want to cry
Niniane
，
It is inspiring （they care so much about every patient！）。 Years later， I remember the story about the med-evac for the boy with late-stage cancer and the dilemma because his $25k med-evac could save so many other lives。 I did feel that Paul Farmer was irresponsible toward his own wife and daughter。 He basically neglected them。 The book "Strangers Drowning" talks about some altruists （men） who devote their lives to helping others， at the cost of creating a patriarchy within their own home where t It is inspiring （they care so much about every patient！）。 Years later， I remember the story about the med-evac for the boy with late-stage cancer and the dilemma because his $25k med-evac could save so many other lives。 I did feel that Paul Farmer was irresponsible toward his own wife and daughter。 He basically neglected them。 The book "Strangers Drowning" talks about some altruists （men） who devote their lives to helping others， at the cost of creating a patriarchy within their own home where their wives do all the housework and childrearing with zero help。 It's clear that Paul Farmer created this imbalance in his own home， where his wife was angry and resentful but he abandoned her constantly anyway and made her carry all the load。 。。。more
Kendall Koch
，
I had to read this book for my internship， I am getting my Bachelor’s of Science in Public Health， and I absolutely loved it。 I didn’t realize that TB had such a grip on the world as I have only been aware of AIDS。 A great read and I hope that more people read it。
Analee Stockman
，
Incredibly inspiring， but also exhausting。 I have the utmost respect for people who are changing the world， to think he set an impossible precedent。 I didn’t like that he scheduled lectures so he had an excuse to stay and spend time with his family。 Call me old fashioned， but I think the spouse and kids should come first。 Spend time with the family， and if a lecture is scheduled， do the lecture。 Not schedule engagements so you can have an excuse to spend more time with the family。
Abigail G
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An interesting story of an inspirational individual that challenges the way we live as people in first world countries。
Marion
，
The story of the remarkable Paul Farmer and his dedicated work on treating TB， AIDS and related diseases in challenging places like Peru， Russia and most of all Haiti。 Minor complaint: I found the narrator’s （Paul Michael） pronunciation of Boston （“Bah-ston” a word used constantly） affected and annoying。
Emma Johnson
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I read this book as a student of global health， built out of the school of thought of medical anthropology that arguably Paul Farmer had an indispensable role in developing。 I have read books and excerpts of writing by him throughout my education so I thought I would give this a read。 Although of course， this is a sort of biography， both of Farmer himself， and of the organization he worked so hard to build， I found that the most interesting aspect of the book for me was the tensions of public he I read this book as a student of global health， built out of the school of thought of medical anthropology that arguably Paul Farmer had an indispensable role in developing。 I have read books and excerpts of writing by him throughout my education so I thought I would give this a read。 Although of course， this is a sort of biography， both of Farmer himself， and of the organization he worked so hard to build， I found that the most interesting aspect of the book for me was the tensions of public health。 Specifically， the tension between the role of a physician to treat their patient with the best care available， and the goal of public health to treat the illnesses afflicting society as a whole， with this seeming dichotomy exacerbated by the promise of perpetually limited resources。 This is framed nicely when the author and Paul have the following conversation:“Doctors are very nice。 They think the patient in front of them is the most important thing。 But we care about something more important， which is the health of populations。” I said something like that and then said of our dinner companion， “He’s interested in public health。” “I’m interested in public health， too！” said Paul。 “But what is the public？ Is it a family， a village， a city， a country？ Who are these people to say what the public is？”As Paul questions the framing of public by public health experts， the author earlier questions the framing of the patient by Paul， when he includes the admission that Paul “thought of all our fellow passengers as patients”， and in fact likely thought of all of the world as his patients or students in some regard。 At the end of the book the author seems to regard this intentionality with each patient not as something that occurs at the expense of Paul’s wider mission， but actually as the underpinning that allowed it to move forward with such passion and direction。 He postures that “These refresh his passion and authority， so that he can travel a quarter of a million miles a year and scheme and write about the health of populations。 Doctoring is the ultimate source of his power， I think。 His basic message is simple: This person is sick， and I am a doctor。”As I move forward and hopefully attend medical school and also continue my education in global and public health， these are lessons that I believe are critical to continue。 。。。more
Katie Shapiro
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Incredible， inspiring， and captivatingIncredible story。 Reads really well。 Really inspiring way to think about all the things a person can do if that person really cares。
Shirley Freitag
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Learned a lot！ Worth the time definitely。
Vince Snow
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Really incredible engaging read。 I really really enjoyed this book。 It centers on Paul Farmer， a doctor who spends much of the year at a hospital he's built over in Haiti where he gives Haitians free medical care。 He set up a charity， Partners in Health， which also helps treat Peruvians in Lima who have strains of tuberculosis that are resistant to the first line antibiotics used to generally treat TB。 Partners in Health treats a similar population in Russian prisons， where TB is （was？） rampant。 Really incredible engaging read。 I really really enjoyed this book。 It centers on Paul Farmer， a doctor who spends much of the year at a hospital he's built over in Haiti where he gives Haitians free medical care。 He set up a charity， Partners in Health， which also helps treat Peruvians in Lima who have strains of tuberculosis that are resistant to the first line antibiotics used to generally treat TB。 Partners in Health treats a similar population in Russian prisons， where TB is （was？） rampant。 I loved Farmer's worldview。 A favorite quote:They think all the world's problems can be fixed without any cost to themselves。 We don't believe that。 There's a lot to be said for sacrifice， remorse， even pity。 It's what separates us from roaches。 I suppose I ought to google and see how Zanmi Lasante is doing almost 20 years after this book was written。 I hope Haiti's prospects have improved， although， seeing as their president was assassinated last year， I suspect they have not。 5 stars。 Am actively trying to recommend to those close to me。 。。。more
Logan Borgsmiller
，
Sensational book that explores the relentless quest of one man to cure the world and teaches timeless lessons on what it means to lead a life and career of purpose。
ellie
，
This book was a required reading for AP Lang。 I enjoyed the beginning of the novel， and I was very inspired by Farmer’s story。 However， after the first 120 pages the book got extremely boring。 I don’t know why。 I was bored to death。 Maybe the writing？ Maybe the way the story was structured？ I don’t know but it was incredibly hard to finish。
Nathalie Wong
，
Tracy Kidder writes very well and it is quite a riveting read。 But at times， it drags on a little， with so many Farmerisms。
Clivemichael
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Well described inspirational individual。 An excellent narrative。
Milauni
，
Absolutely incredible。 very well written and obviously the story is amazingly compelling！
Shivani Shah
，
10 stars out of 5。 😊
Annette Stephens
，
ANTH 110， really really good
Becca
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I love LEARNING！ Although this book is outdated and the situation in Haiti has grown even more complex and distressing， I think that the information here about mending the relationship between cultural practice and scientific treatment is really important and still pertinent to everything we see in medicine today。 This was really helpful for the current work I do at the hospital。 Dr。 Paul Farmer is brilliant and I think there are a ton of arguments to be made as to why that is and also to why hi I love LEARNING！ Although this book is outdated and the situation in Haiti has grown even more complex and distressing， I think that the information here about mending the relationship between cultural practice and scientific treatment is really important and still pertinent to everything we see in medicine today。 This was really helpful for the current work I do at the hospital。 Dr。 Paul Farmer is brilliant and I think there are a ton of arguments to be made as to why that is and also to why his work is flawed。 I learned a ton about TB， which I didn't expect but turned out to be extremely cool and important， especially with respect to working with patients who aren't from the continental USA。 Anyways， science is cool。 。。。more
Madi Skinner
，