Will I love Mountains Beyond Mountains?

I found the total dedication of Dr. Paul Farmer to solving the medical needs of the poor in Haiti, Peru, and elsewhere in the developing world through a combination of grassroots effort and high-level policymaking inspiring, to say the least.

The author of this biographical classic is a master of detail who captures the protagonist's complex essence and the stark medical reality facing the poorest of the poor. His story demonstrates how one person can profoundly affect the world, in this case, solving global health problems despite enduring tremendous personal sacrifice.   

Wait, this book isn’t about Africa! No: it’s a biography of Dr. Paul Farmer, a co-founder of the medical humanitarian agency Partners in Health who died in 2022, and who had a major influence on how I, and thousands of others, think about providing healthcare in low-resource settings.

This extremely readable biography of Farmer focuses mostly on his work in Haiti – where Farmer did pioneering work on HIV treatment – and while it’s the other side of the world, it’s a crucial text for rethinking how we understand structural inequalities and access to health care.

The seeds of Farmer’s… show more.

This isn’t an economic policy book per se, but I can’t resist recommending this book, as it is a page-turning and heartening account of how one person can improve the world. And improving the world, after all, is what good economic policy is all about. In this book, we track Paul Farmer as he builds the charity Partners in Health, which aims to provide healthcare to some of the poorest people in the world. The book is inspiring and compelling, and Tracy Kidder is a gifted storyteller.

I read this book by Pulitzer Prize-winning author, Tracy Kidder, in preparation for my first trip to Haiti. I found that it helped me believe that Haiti can see better days. The book is an account of the work of Dr. Paul Farmer in Haiti. He recently died, but his tremendous influence lives on through the teaching hospital at Mirebalais and the work of Partners in Health. Significantly the subtitle of Kidder’s book refers to “a man who would cure the world.” What an audacious goal! And yet I’ve got to say, that kind of idealism inspires me and makes… show more.