One by One by One

Making a Small Difference Amid a Billion Problems

By: Aaron Berkowitz

Narrated by: Michael David Axtell

Length: 11 hrs and 9 mins

Publisher's summary

In the spirit of Tracy Kidder’s Mountains Beyond Mountains and joining the ranks of works by Bryan Stevenson, Matthew Desmond, Abraham Verghese, and Oliver Sachs, the inspiring story of a young American neurologist’s struggle to make a difference in Haiti by treating one patient - a story of social justice, clashing cultures, and what it means to treat strangers as members of our family.

Dr. Aaron Berkowitz had just finished his neurology training when he was sent to Haiti on his first assignment with Partners in Health. There, he meets Janel, a 23-year-old man with the largest brain tumor Berkowitz or any of his neurosurgeon colleagues at Harvard Medical School have ever seen. Determined to live up to Partners in Health’s mission statement “to bring the benefits of modern medical science to those most in need”, Berkowitz tries to save Janel’s life by bringing him back to Boston for a 12-hour surgery.

In One by One by One, Berkowitz traces what he learns and grapples with as a young doctor trying to bridge the gap between one of the world’s richest countries and one of the world’s poorest to make the first big save of his medical career.

As Janel and Berkowitz travel back and forth between the high-tech neurosurgical operating rooms of Harvard’s hospitals and Janel’s dirt-floored hut in rural Haiti, they face countless heart-wrenching twists and turns. Janel remains comatose for months after his surgery. It’s not clear he will recover enough to return to Haiti and be able to survive there. So he goes for a second brain surgery, a third, a fourth. Berkowitz brings the listener to the front lines of global humanitarian work as he struggles to overcome the challenges that arise when well-meaning intentions give rise to unintended consequences, when cultures and belief systems clash, and when it’s not clear what the right thing to do is, let alone the right way to do it.

One by One by One is a gripping account of the triumphs, tragedies, and confusing spaces in between as an idealistic young doctor learns the hard but necessary lessons of living by the Haitian proverb tout moun se moun - every person is a person.

©2020 Aaron Berkowitz (P)2020 HarperCollins Publishers

families of Haiti

I really enjoyed this book and its narration. I've been to Haiti a handful of times, and this book, and it's story, tie me again to this country and its families.

Unbelievably good!

I truly enjoyed this book so much. Dr Berkowitz’ writing style - almost stream of consciousness suited me so well. It made everything so relatable. I highly recommend this book.

Excellent

One by One by One does an amazing job of weaving a riveting story out of the events and struggles, as well as drawing attention to the inequalities present in our world.