Some linger for a moment, troubling the reader for a while, or perhaps offering encouragement for a period.
Some entertain, some humor, while some merely offer themselves as a light diversion.
Mountains Beyond Mountains, the story of Dr. Paul Farmer, written by Tracy Kidder, does none of the above. It comes, wrapped in humble packaging, opens itself and the reader's heart, and refuses to disappear until it has forever changed the reader. One cannot simply close this book and set it back upon the shelf without first having seriously reflected upon the implications for the reader.
Dr. Paul Farmer, a man with a background wild and unique, sets out to learn about Haiti, and in the process is so changed by the country and the series of tragedies that litter its past that he stays, except for the fact that health tragedies around the globe demand his attention and Dr. Farmer is not the type to let one individual suffer if he can help it.
At the heart of the book is that pledge--a promise to see patients as individuals, not as cases. A promise not to get so caught up in the big picture that the suffering soul is forgotten. The patient is a mother, a child, a person worth every effort. A cost/benefit analysis can never capture all of that.
Many of us look at Haiti and see a lost cause, especially after the earthquake that so rattled this already devastated country. Dr. Paul looks at it and sees opportunities to help.
Upon finishing this book, I'm forced to dwell on the abilities I have, and look at the world around and wonder where I can put those to use. How can I alleviate the cause of one person? How can I see the needy not as a group, but as individuals, and where can I help? We are each called to a greater cause than our own wealth, our own success. This book invites, demands us to wrestle with our calling, to go out into the world and do something.
What will you do?
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