Mountains Beyond Mountains
The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, a Man Who Would Cure the World
by Tracy Kidder · first published 2003
90% recommend10% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Well-written profile of Paul Farmer, who gave up lucrative options to bring medical care to Haiti's poor. Moves readers with its empathy and purpose; suits those seeking meaning or interested in global health.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
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. 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 tha
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…should die. People there need help. Now. A good charity I donated to is Partners in Health which was founded in Haiti (by an American) and has always been in Haiti. You can read more about them in "Mountains Beyond Mountains" which coincidentally and topically was written by Tracy Kidder who also wrote "Soul of a new Machine".
on “Don't give money [that's restricted] to Haiti” ↗…they had at least one teacher, but the children had to study outside until the school building was completed. (I also recommend "Three Cups of Tea". It's not as well written as, say, Tracy Kidder's "Mountains Beyond Mountains", but it doesn't matter, the story pretty much tells itself.)
on “Please stop building schools in Iraq and Afghanistan” ↗not as well written as, say, Tracy Kidder's "Mountains Beyond Mountains"... This is the second time I've seen Kidder's work mentioned here in the last few days [1]. I've read and enjoyed Soul of a New Machine. Would you recommend any of his other books? [1] http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=601903
on “Please stop building schools in Iraq and Afghanistan” ↗Mountains Beyond Mountains is the only other Kidder book I've read. It's certainly worth a read, but it's a really different book from Soul of a New Machine, just by subject matter if nothing else.
on “Please stop building schools in Iraq and Afghanistan” ↗Here's a list we maintain at work: http://blog.greenmountainengineering.com/greenmountain_engin... I contributed Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder and Desert Solitaire by Ed Abbey, among others. For nonfiction: Creating the Twentieth Century: Technical Innovations of 1867-1914 and Their Lasting Impact by Vaclav Smil
on “Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.” ↗…http://www.amazon.com/How-Win-Friends-Influence-People/dp/06... - Beethoven As I Knew Him by Anton Felix Schindler http://www.amazon.com/Beethoven-As-I-Knew-Him/dp/0486292320 - Soul Of A New Machine (It's about hardware!) and Mountains Beyond Mountains, both by Tracy Kidder - Eating Animals by Jonathan Safron Foer
on “Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?” ↗I was in Haiti in 2010 after the devastating earthquake there. I briefly met Paul there and learned about his work in Haiti afterwards, primarily from the book Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder. He really dedicated himself to helping people. RIP Paul.
on “Paul Farmer, founder of Partners in Health, has died” ↗Mountains Beyond Mountains A biography of Dr Paul Farmer and how he dedicated his life and sacrificed everything to solve (in his words) “easily preventable” health problems in Haiti. It hits on many levels: his unapologetic…
on “Ask HN: What book bit, stung and shook you deeply?” ↗One of Dahl's surviving daughters, Ophelia, cofounded Partners In Health with Paul Farmer. I highly recommend Tracy Kidder's _Mountains Beyond Mountains_. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ophelia_Dahl
on “Roald Dahl on the death of his daughter (2015)” ↗…Haiti they worked on the nuns and people. It appears that the red cross did the same thing by not hiring Haitians to higher positions of power and giving them control over their own lives. If you read Mountains Beyond Mountains, written about Paul Farmer you'll see someone who went and worked with his customers to an extreme level.
on “In Search of the Red Cross' $500M in Haiti Relief” ↗…another book by Kidder, is even more compelling to me. It's a fascinating story of Paul Farmer, who dedicated his life to fighting infectious disease, especially in Haiti. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mountains_Beyond_Mountains
on “Tracy Kidder, Author of 'The Soul of a New Machine,' Dies at 80” ↗…so that it can stand on its own. The Red Cross didn’t do that. There are organizations out there that have (even in Haiti) if you’d like some references on how to donate to a meaningful charity read Mountains Beyond Mountains and help Paul Farmer out, or just donate to Partners in Health. Note: I have no affiliation with him or his foundation. I do have more anecdotes, but I’ll leave it at that for now. Edit: Re-Wrote the…
on “In Search of the Red Cross' $500M in Haiti Relief” ↗Mountains Beyond Mountains is a pantheon read for me. Farmer grew up incredibly poor, got into Duke and Harvard, had opportunities to make incredible money and traded it for a life of providing medical care to the third world…
on “Tracy Kidder, Author of 'The Soul of a New Machine,' Dies at 80” ↗Tracy Kidder (Soul Of A New Machine) wrote a fantastic book about some of the epidemiologists who have been working for the past few decades on the problem, but from the POV of a sociologist. The book is "Mountains Beyond Mountains", and mainly focuses on Paul Farmer from Partners In Health.
on “Norway leads the world in antibiotic resistance, has lowest rate of MSRA” ↗"Into Thin Air" (Krakauer) Journalist/Mountaineer account of an Everest expedition gone wrong. Read it, ponder, but know that there is some controversy. Very interesting look into expedition dynamics. "Mountains Beyond Mountains" (Kidder) An account of Paul Farmer's work in Haiti, and later in other parts of the world. If you are interested in public health it is a great read, and may provide a fresh angle on recent Haiti <->…
on “Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?” ↗