ash_hernick's review against another edition
2.0
The white savior narrative is strong in this one. Also, the writing style just didn't work for me - too many descriptions of how "handsome" Dr. Farmer was. What was going on with this book?
renatasnacks's review against another edition
4.0
[b:Mountains beyond Mountains: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, A Man Who Would Cure the World|10235|Mountains beyond Mountains The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, A Man Who Would Cure the World|Tracy Kidder|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1320524223s/10235.jpg|1639628] is one of my favorite books, so when I saw they had created an edition "Adapted for Young People" I bought it for our library's teen collection & was eager to read it and see how it compared to the original. I didn't do a side-by-side reading or anything but I definitely remember certain favorite bits that were cut out--such as the part about Paul Farmer's love of People magazine. One on hand, I think details like that might be some of the most appealing to young readers. On the other hand, I'm also pretty sure that a lot of the more complicated medical, political, & historical information was cut. As is, there's enough to give "young readers" a good taste of what an inspirational figure Paul Farmer is without getting too tangled up in details of Haitian history... of course, I personally think most young readers would benefit from getting the fuller picture from the adult version, but this was a quick read that overall captured the essence of the original story. Hurrah!
ernibidin's review against another edition
5.0
"Beyond mountains, there are mountains." which means that, when you'd solved one problem, you couldn't rest because you had to go on and solve the next.
Dr. Paul Farmer grew up less privileged than his classmates at Duke and Harvard. Even before he became a medical student, he was involved in voluntary works in Haiti, which he regarded as his home. Despite traveling back and forth to Haiti during his med school years, he graduated top of his class and later became one of the most prominent figures in the study of infectious disease.
He is a man of action. His goal is to translate his worldview into action. His need to "save" others is so tremendous, it annoyed the people around him. As a medical student, it was his dream to become a doctor that can bring medicine to people less fortunate, and he did it. He did not only plan, or wish, but act on it! That deserves a massive respect, tbh.
As he became more and more invested in his work to provide medicine for the poor, he became immensely frustrated at the lack of resources and money to do so. So, he built a new organization, Partners in Health (PIH) with his med school buddy, Dr. Jim Kim. He took matters into his own hands. His first major aim was to find resources to combat the spread of HIV among Haitians at that time. It was spreading at an alarming rate, and the poverty, lack of opportunity and low economic status made the situation worse. PIH came in to help finance the expensive antiretroviral drugs essential for HIV treatment.
The book also highlights the struggle of Dr. Paul Farmer and Dr. Jim Kim to lobby pharmaceutical companies to lower the price of second line antibiotics for multidrug resistant TB, which would become a major problem if not tackled successfully. Their quest brought them to Peru, Russia, WHO and many more, just for the sake of their patients.
As a medical student, the story of these doctors are truly inspiring. It made me hope, that one day, I could be just like them, helping people who are less fortunate. But, the lesson that has struck me the most from this is that, apart from altruism, you need negotiation skills, you need politics, you need street smart, and you need to take matters into your own hands, to get what you want, which is ultimately to save your patients. It is not enough to just dream, you must DO. The world needs people who are committed and passionate.
It is also interesting to note that this book discuss so many aspects of public health, and health equity. Reading this takes me back to one of the class during CFCS, year 2 medical school. This book has so much interesting points for discussion.
Lastly, reading this book made me question my own motivations to become a doctor. Where would I be after this? I can't help but wonder, maybe one day me and my friend Atikah could be just like Dr. Paul Farmer and Dr. Jim Kim. Maybe we could establish our own Partners in Health. Huhu.
"Never underestimate the ability of a small group of committed individuals to change the world."
amdame1's review against another edition
4.0
This is a well-done adaptation about Paul Farmer's amazing work in the medical field in places such as Haiti, Russia, Peru, and Cuba. His dedication to helping people obtain access to medical care, both preventative and immediate, is inspiring. It is written at a level accessible for middle and high school students.
mynamerhymes's review
4.0
This was a lite version of the original, prize winning text. It was all my library had available on audio book, and I don't think I had the mental bandwidth to read the original. The successes of PIH around the world are undoubtedly inspiring, and this gave me a much better understanding of the recent history of infections diseases. But what I really saw was a book about examining the philosophical struggle of trying to heal as many people as possible while also doing everything possible for one person. How keeping up that level of personal accountability takes superhuman effort. And how there aren't and won't be easy answers. So we just have to accept that we will fail and love people anyway. Extremely thought-provoking and inspiring, even without with full text.
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