Analyzing Tracy Kidder's Mountains Beyond Mountains

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In the hauntingly true account of one man trying to save the lives of millions, Tracy Kidder depicts the never ending struggle of physician-anthropologist Paul Farmer in the truest way he can. Mountains Beyond Mountains does not hide any facts, it does not cover the truth, nor does it emphasize the good. Tracy Kidder tells of Farmer's struggles to balance his love for Haitians with his need to save humankind from Tuberculosis and related diseases, and in effect exposes readers to the necessity of giving those impoverished decent health care and living conditions. In writing Mountains Beyond Mountains, Kidder not only recounts the life and career of a world-renowned doctor, but he also informs an ignorant population of the degree of neglect that many underdeveloped nations face. Kidder argues that though Farmer tried to change the health of impoverished …show more content…

Alas, his bravery and belief in equality led to the creation of Partners in Health, an organization that treats AIDS and multiple drug-resistant tuberculosis and trains community based medical employees in 12 underdeveloped areas. Partners in Health began with employment below half a dozen, yet has grown to having beyond 15,000 employees. This growth has much to do with Paul Farmer's resilience in spreading awareness of the need to stop the outbreak of multiple drug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR), though during his time as an advocate all he wanted to do was treat patients in Haiti. Throughout his entire novel, Kidder tells of Farmer's struggles to balance his desire for world-round acknowledgement of the devastating effect MDR could have on the population and his wish to spend his days treating patients in Cange, Haiti. Paul Farmer is truly a philanthropist in the rawest definition of the word. Kidder writes, “'That's when I feel most alive,' he told me once on an airplane, 'When I'm helping people,'”

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