STEP: STudent Ecumenical Partnership: Resource Review of "Mountains Beyond Mountains"

Resource reviews

Mountains Beyond Mountains
By Tracy Kidder
Powells.com: $10.95
336 pages

I was first introduced to "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder for a discussion group at Transy. Normally I don't read a lot of biographies in my free time. However, this one immediately caught my attention. It's about Dr. Paul Farmer, an MD who has spent over twenty years improving health care systems in underdeveloped countries. The book chronicles his beginnings as an undergrad working as a clinician in Haiti and his growth to one of the leaders in the enhancement of the World Health Organization's program against tuberculosis.

This book tells a wonderful story about devotion, faith, and service. The story draws you in and takes you on a wild ride through his struggles building a hospital in Haiti, working in the slums in Peru and bringing medicine to prisoners in Russia... all while being a tenured professor at Harvard. Farmer discusses how his introduction to liberation theology influenced his choice to spend most of his life devoted to others. There is much discussion about the worth of a person in respect to global health policy, as well as the inspiration that Farmer receives from working with his patients. The book is told from the point of view of Kidder as he crosses the globe with Farmer. Almost as interesting as Farmer's story are the developments that Kidder goes through as he spends time with Farmer and comes to understand him.

We are using this text for a discussion with incoming first years. There is a lot to talk about and connect to our lives. The entire book focuses on service towards others and the responsibility we have to help others. The edition we are using even has a short discussion guide which includes questions about many of the themes in the book.

For me, this book was especially powerful since I began it shortly after returning from a service learning project in the Philippines. It was purely coincidence that this happened, but the pairing of this book with a similar experience worked incredibly well. This would be a great book for any group who is going on a mission trip to look at to add another level to their work. Well written and a fast read, I would recommend this book to anybody that has a couple of days to read it.

Reviewed by: Brandon Cook, Transylvania University
Posted: May 30, 2008

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We want to know what you think. Send your comments on this review or on this material to blyons@helmdisciples.org. Your comments will be posted on this page.



		Resource reviews Mountains Beyond Mountains By Tracy Kidder Powells.com: $10.95 336 pages I was first introduced to "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder for a discussion group at Transy. Normally I don't read a lot of biographies in my free time. However, this one immediately caught my attention. It's about Dr. Paul Farmer, an MD who has spent over twenty years improving health care systems in underdeveloped countries. The book chronicles his beginnings as an undergrad working as a clinician in Haiti and his growth to one of the leaders in the enhancement of the World Health Organization's program against tuberculosis. This book tells a wonderful story about devotion, faith, and service. The story draws you in and takes you on a wild ride through his struggles building a hospital in Haiti, working in the slums in Peru and bringing medicine to prisoners in Russia... all while being a tenured professor at Harvard. Farmer discusses how his introduction to liberation theology influenced his choice to spend most of his life devoted to others. There is much discussion about the worth of a person in respect to global health policy, as well as the inspiration that Farmer receives from working with his patients. The book is told from the point of view of Kidder as he crosses the globe with Farmer. Almost as interesting as Farmer's story are the developments that Kidder goes through as he spends time with Farmer and comes to understand him. We are using this text for a discussion with incoming first years. There is a lot to talk about and connect to our lives. The entire book focuses on service towards others and the responsibility we have to help others. The edition we are using even has a short discussion guide which includes questions about many of the themes in the book. For me, this book was especially powerful since I began it shortly after returning from a service learning project in the Philippines. It was purely coincidence that this happened, but the pairing of this book with a similar experience worked incredibly well. This would be a great book for any group who is going on a mission trip to look at to add another level to their work. Well written and a fast read, I would recommend this book to anybody that has a couple of days to read it. Reviewed by: Brandon Cook, Transylvania University Posted: May 30, 2008 Was this review or resource helpful to you? We want to know what you think. Send your comments on this review or on this material to blyons@helmdisciples.org. Your comments will be posted on this page.