Book Log 2008 #39: Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder

I've had both good (Home Town) and not so good (The Soul of a New Machine) experiences with Kidder, and am happy to report that this was also one of the good ones (perhaps I just need to read books he's written before they turn 20 years old).

The book follows Paul Farmer, who built a small health outreach program in Haiti into Partners in Health, a multinational organization that tackles TB and other medical issues in some of the world's most difficult settings. Farmer's approach is personal and pragmatic, and successful in ways that more bureaucratic groups (like the WHO) can't model or support given the greater bureaucracy involved. Kidder deftly weaves Farmer's personal life around this story, from his unorthodox upbringing to his own, rarely-seen wife and child.

In reading this I experienced equal parts awe at Farmer's successes and dismay that I'm wasting my life tapping on keyboards. It's an inspiring work that underscores that, after all the science and money, it's people who matter most.