"Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder

A quick message to say I've got my computer back as well as talking about the book I read this summer, "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder. Also a semi-related story about a Buddhist man.

Category:

Education

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• Tracy Kidder
• reading
• book
• discussion
• Haiti
• medicine
• tuberculosis

[Y00rHighness]

I'm not sure Paul Farmer pushes his views onto others. I can remember two distinct instances in Mountains Beyond Mountains he says people should not model themselves after him. One is in the epilogue.

[cutewitch772]

@Y00rHighness I can't remember much now, because I haven't read the book in a while, but I do seem to recall that you're right; he seemed to be a little bit of a "do as I say, not as I do" kind of guy? Though, I do maintain that he is portrayed as being so passionate about his views that he doesn't understand why anyone else wouldn't hold them, also.

[loosootmaterotatop]

im sorry but this book was horrible i think i got through the first chapter and i put it down and never read it again.. thaks for the info tho it should help..lol

[cutewitch772]

@loosootmaterotatop If you only got through one chapter, you cannot say that the book is horrible. You didn't read it. You have to read an entire book to be able to fully assess whether you like it or not. And maybe you don't like it, and that's fine, but that doesn't mean it's bad, and you can't exactly say anything about something you didn't even read.

[dawance88]

I haven't read the book yet, but would you characterize Dr. Farmer's personality as an INTJ?

[cutewitch772]

@dawance88 I'd have to go back and look up which one that is, which I don't feel like doing, and even then I don't think I'd be able to place him. He's a complex individual. What we see of him through the book isn't all of who he is.

[Culipast]

You should also read Strength In What Remains by Tracy Kidder. I just started to read it from my sister's influence.

[Culipast]

You should also Strength In What Remains by Tracy Kidder. I just started to read it from my sister's influence.

[katydidmeow]

Great video! This was perfect support for the group discussion I have to do on this book for my AP Lang class. I love it. And everything you mentioned I agreed with because I thought the exact same things about those parts, like Kidder portraying Farmer as a complete tool at points yet he can kind of afford to act that way sometimes for everything he's done for the world.

[xjtbarnesx]

Not at all sure how I ended up here, but if you're getting into teaching I highly recommend another of Kidder's books, Among Schoolchildren. You'll love it!

That said, I haven't read MBM yet, but what I do like about Kidder's biographical work, as sort of you mentioned, is that he does well to leave the humanity in the characters he's writing about. Everyone's imperfect and a little fucked up, so I think it's important to leave those bits in. Books about perfect people are boring.