• Mountains Beyond Mountains

  • The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, a Man Who Would Cure the World
  • By: Tracy Kidder
  • Narrated by: Paul Michael
  • Length: 10 hrs and 50 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (2,117 ratings)

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Mountains Beyond Mountains  By  cover art

Mountains Beyond Mountains

By: Tracy Kidder
Narrated by: Paul Michael
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Publisher's summary

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER “[A] masterpiece . . . an astonishing book that will leave you questioning your own life and political views.”—USA Today

“If any one person can be given credit for transforming the medical establishment’s thinking about health care for the destitute, it is Paul Farmer. . . . [Mountains Beyond Mountains] inspires, discomforts, and provokes.”—The New York Times (Best Books of the Year)

In medical school, Paul Farmer found his life’s calling: to cure infectious diseases and to bring the lifesaving tools of modern medicine to those who need them most. Tracy Kidder’s magnificent account shows how one person can make a difference in solving global health problems through a clear-eyed understanding of the interaction of politics, wealth, social systems, and disease. Profound and powerful, Mountains Beyond Mountains takes us from Harvard to Haiti, Peru, Cuba, and Russia as Farmer changes people’s minds through his dedication to the philosophy that “the only real nation is humanity.”

WINNER OF THE LETTRE ULYSSES AWARD FOR THE ART OF REPORTAGE

©2003 Tracy Kidder (P)2003 Books on Tape, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Paul Michael captures the book's mix of intensity and elaboration beautifully....Just the right amount of edge-of-your-seat passion....A very good rendition of an important book." AudioFile

“A true-to-life fairy tale, one that inspires you to believe in happy endings . . . Its stark sense of reality comes as much from the grit between the pages as from the pure gold those pages spin.”—Laura Claridge, Boston Sunday Globe

“Stunning . . . Mountains Beyond Mountains will move you, restore your faith in the ability of one person to make a difference in these increasingly maddening, dispiriting times.”—John Wilkens, The San Diego Union-Tribune

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What listeners say about Mountains Beyond Mountains

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Everyone should read this.

Any additional comments?

This is an amazing story about an even more amazing human. I highly recommend this book to anyone and everyone. I honestly think it should be required reading for anyone going into a health profession. I would love to see Tracy do an update on Paul, who has continued being a huge asset to humanity. This book has became my default gift for friends and family,

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Moving

Oh that more people of the world would do more than notice the poor. Such an amazing work, I wish there was a follow up story on Paul Farmers current life.

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Enjoyable

This was a very enjoyable listen! A great story about an incredibly dedicated public servant. We can all aspire to be a little bit like Dr Farmer.

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Inspiring lives!

It was wonderful to learn about Paul farmer and his cohorts, the challenges, politics and financing of health care for the poor (Haiti, Peru, Russia), and the people of Haiti, where "bad death" is a daily occurrence. Would love to read what's happened since this book was written.

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if just some of us could be half the guy Paul is

this story is really inspirational. as you listen to this book you start thinking of ways you could be a better person. Paul clearly leads by example and his priorities and humanness.

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YES

enlightening - a must read/listen for a soulful experience & those medically inclined. enjoyed this!

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Excellent Biography of Paul Farmer & PIH

As a former long-term resident & full-time volunteer in Haiti, I of course knew of Paul Farmer & PIH. The compound where I lived for 3 of my years in Haiti housed a PIH Research Clinic. I had visited Zanmi Lasante in Mirebalais. But the listen of this book gave me the insight into the works of Paul Farmer & PIH in a manner that made me feel as if I were there, almost volunteering WITH them. It leaves me wanting more... and that’s a very good thing.

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Paul Farmer is the most amazing human

Everyone should read/listen to this story and recalibrate their compassion, priorities and ethos to be at least just a little closer to Dr. Paul’s. He’s so missed.

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Inspirational

Dr. Farmer's compassion and dedication to take care of those who are underserved is so moving. I think that his story helps us all to take a sacred pause and examine our responsibility to value every human being.

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Changed the way I view medicine

I was recommended this book by an ER doc I was shadowing, telling me it would completely change my perspective on medicine, and he was absolutely right. To say that the story of Farmers life and work is inspiring is an understatement, and this reading of the book was great at conveying the seriousness of the situation as well as what I imagine is the personality of Paul Farmer. Fantastically done.

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