Narrative Mountains Beyond Mountain

During a visit to the library, one will likely pick up books of two different styles, fiction and nonfiction. When left the option to chose between these styles, I usually read fiction. Nonfiction writing is critical for documenting facts and true stories. I mostly read nonfiction books for information, and less often for fun. I tend to avoid reading nonfiction writing because I typically find much fewer connections to the plights of the characters, and I find many nonfiction books boring. Despite this tendency, for summer reading this year, I read the nonfiction narrative Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder. It told the story of Dr. Paul Farmer, a man who has, “fought for [his] whole life a long defeat.” pg. 288. The long defeat refers to the constant struggle of assisting the less fortunate, against all odds.

I found the narrative to be an inspiring account of dedicated work and compassion for the poor, but it also struck me as rather drab, similar to many other nonfiction books I have read. The narrative was a somewhat difficult read because I became unfocused easily and sometimes had to reread paragraphs that I accidentally skipped. Additionally, each chapter seemed to be a repetition of the last, and the progress of Farmer’s organization, Partners in Health, was incredibly slow. For example, the majority

Due to this, Dr. Farmer was largely portrayed as a hero, and the book didn’t focus on his lack of commitment to his daughter, Catherine; and wife, Didi. I would have enjoyed the book more, and felt a stronger personal connection to Farmer if the story had been told from the perspective of Farmer’s loved ones, and those who had been deeply affected by his life choices. All in all, the style, content, and perspective of Mountains Beyond Mountains highlighted the qualities of nonfiction writing that I