Mountains Beyond Mountains (Tracy Kidder)

Julie recommended this book a while back when we were all still together gabbing about books. Then I went and read Among Schoolchildren, fell in love with Kidder's writing. When I saw this book on sale and heard Paul Farmer was coming to town, I bought not one, but TWO books, and sent one to my brother for his birthday. If anyone inspires one to make a difference, then it's this guy Farmer. His logic makes sense. Drugs alone can't cure a nation besieged by poverty and inequities unfathomed here in the U.S. 'Course it must be mentioned that I'm assuming here that these people can even get the drugs or the right drugs. Lack of transportation, lack of money, lack of time make them largely inaccessible to most people. And even if this person did have a few coins, then what do they choose? A roof over their heads? A meal for the day? Farmer says it's a no-brainer. You heal the sick by making sure they have the basic necessities along with the proper treatment. Yet, the treatment, too, might be part of the problem. . . as often our regimented policies (with the World Health Organization's mandate) make the sick more sick as is the case with drug-resistant tuberculosis. And no one was listening. No one was making it easier for patients . . . they just waited for these patients to die. Poor patients with no political clout. In Peru. In Haiti. In the prisons in Russia. Only, the problem was that these patients were highly infectious, and even if the leaders of these countries didn't give a rat's bahooey about these patients, then they were blind to the reality that TB doesn't operate on a cash-only system; it infects rich and poor alike. But of course, that's the big story. The story that launches the book. But what hooks you is Kidder's beautiful portrayal of the man--Paul Farmer. His idiosyncrasies are as endearing as they are admirable, like a favorite uncle who's always interested in what you've been up to, the guy who's always got a smart comment to say under his breath to make everyone laugh, and the amazing idiot who stands up and shows no fear in telling the truth, even if it offends the President. That's what kept me reading. To see who this guy is, the guy who pulled this system apart and pieced it back together his way. 'Course it wasn't easy to start with, nor is it an easy simple fix, as the fix never seems to be fixed. Perhaps that's why it's called Mountains Beyond Mountains.