Mountains Beyond Mountains

With all that is going on in Haiti, I wanted to inform everyone about a book that deals with this country. Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder is actually a book I read for graduate school. I'm very glad my professor made me aware of this book because it was something I otherwise never would have picked up.

This book is about a man named Paul Farmer who has given his life to improving health care in poor countries like Haiti. It was very well written, very inspirational, and made me thankful for all I have. I learned a lot about Haiti and the living conditions there through this story. Mountains Beyond Mountains informed me about the creation of Partners in Health, an organization that has been helping Haiti for years and now needs more help than ever. You can learn more about Partners In Health here.

Here is a summary of Mountains Beyond Mountains from barnesandnobel.com:

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.”

This is a great non-fiction read that I would highly recommend.