Review Of Tracy Kidder's Mountains Beyond Mountains

Leaving the comforts of the first world, Jessica Alexander abandons her job, fiancé, family, and home to venture into the misleading volunteer work of Humanitarian aid. Chasing Chaos: My Decade In and Out of Humanitarian Aid by Jessica Alexander is a conglomeration of stories that are written from Jessica’s memory. “It is a true account based on [Jessica’s] best recollections of the events and [her] experiences.”.

In “The Mountain” Eli Clare addresses the plight and disadvantages of the disabled in society using a metaphorical mountain and her own climbing supercrip experience. In the opening metaphor section Clare explains how the little sympathy the empowered and able have for the disabled. With the supercrip section, Clare asserts that when stories of crippled people “overcoming” their disabilities gain publicity they simply support and reinforce stereotypes, continuing the discrimination of the disabled community (Clare 1999). Due to her cerebral palsy, Clare cannot finish her hike with her friend Adrianne to the top of Mount Adams. Following her disappointment, Clare considers the difference between impairment and disability. According to the article, an impairment refers to the objective inability to accomplish a task resulting from a faulty limb or bodily function. On the other hand, a disability is a product of a structures refusal to account for the impaired (Clare 1999). In the final section titled “Home,” Clare reminisces on the depressing parts of his life: his father raping him, the inconsiderate and harsh slurs, and his impairment. Then, he ponders the body as a home and its functions. Finally, he accepts that he will never be able to call the mountain home, but yearns for a society where ableism is absent, the concept of the supercrip is extinct, and the impaired can live normal lives (Clare 1999).

There are times in our lives in which certain events change a part of us, either emotionally, physically or mentally. In our own meaningful way, we have a storm like O’Conner, in which we go through an impactful change.

She paints readers the vivid picture of children sleeping in piles like dogs on dirt floors, mothers who brewed alcohol to make money feeding their children the mash from which it is made to dull the pain of starvation, and crowds of people who haven’t eaten for days fighting like savages to access a pot of beans. She admits that many times she felt overwhelmed at the work there is to do. This portion of the book reminded me of my mission trip to Guatemala during my freshman year of college. On the day our group went to the local street market, I had dozens of villagers following me around the market, begging me to buy their product. I ended up using all of my money that day because I had such a hard time saying “no” to these people. I remembering collapsing on my bed that afternoon, mentally exhausted and heartbroken because I could not do more for the villagers who really needed the money to feed their families. Connecting this memory with Katie’s experience brings me the understanding that in the social work field, as well throughout life in general, we cannot reach every person who needs our help, no matter how hard we try. What we can control is the love we show the people we interact with and the action we put into making a

In Mountains Beyond Mountains, Tracy Kidder documents and admires the work of Dr. Paul Farmer, a Harvard University graduate with a Ph. D. in medical anthropology. Kidder becomes interested in Farmer’s character, philosophies, and motives, so he shares Farmer’s story to inspire others to be the change they want to see in the world. He writes about the doctor’s compassion towards those stricken by poverty, particularly in Haiti and Peru, and tells the story of Farmer’s aid to them. Tracy Kidder, the author, meets Paul Farmer while he is in Haiti to report on American soldiers stationed there due to the recent unrest in Haiti. He gets to know who Farmer really is and describes his motives and character.

Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder is a biography written in 2003 about a benevolent Haitian doctor named Paul Farmer. In the first person point of view of Kidder, Kidder writes about Farmer’s beliefs, goals, and life events that relate to his work in Haiti. Even though Farmer, along with many other characters in Mountains Beyond Mountains, is clearly an optimistic person, Kidder struggled with seeing the hope and reason behind trying so hard to solve things that seemed obviously impossible to him. As a result, the constant interactions between pessimistic people and positive people, combined with the pessimistic character eventually becoming positive, shows that Kidder uses juxtaposition to prove that, to a very high extent, Kidder constantly reflects upon the

Jiní. Jiní, jiníigo éí t'óó ájíi łeh jiní. Eí biniinaa doo jiní jiníida, jiní. Translated into: he said, she said, when you say he/she you are just making it up they say. So that's why you do not say she said he said, they say (Navajo Word of the Day).

Many contemporary stories today contain characters that attempt to achieve their goal through love and compassion. This is a large contrast to the heroes seen in ancient epics who achieve their goals through violence or their own physical actions. It might be because what audiences today value most in role models is much different than what audiences who lived centuries ago valued. Nowadays, people strive to see characters focus on loving and taking care of others to get what they want. In fact, people can gain this satisfaction through people they can possibly meet in real life. Tracy Kidder, the author of the book Mountains Beyond Mountains, introduces his audiences to Dr. Paul Farmer, a man accountable for his tremendous work for his

Dr. Farmer understood that their horrid living conditions would have to change in order for his patients to heal. Dr. Farmer knew that Haiti itself would be unable to make this transition, which is why relying on the wealth, generosity and action from others around the world, to provide adequate necessities for the Haitians became such an important task. When his patients were given a better quality of life, they began to maintain health. For most Americans, we would be unable to fathom the undesirable living conditions, but at the same time understand why diseases run rampant in such an awful economic environment. Without the interdependence of the wealthy around the world and humanitarian belief that we are all human and deserve to be treated with equality, compassion and love, Dr. Farmer may not have been able to succeed as well as he did in Haiti. Kidder (2003) states “You want to see where Christ crucified abides today? Go to where the poor are suffering and fighting back, and that’s where he is (pg. 79).”

“The only real nation is humanity” (Farmer 123). This quote represents a huge message that is received in, Tracy Kidder’s, Mountains Beyond Mountains. This book argues that universal healthcare is a right and not a privilege. Kidder’s book also shows the audience that every individual, no matter what the circumstances, is entitled to receive quality health care. In the book Kidder represents, Paul Farmer, a man who spends his entire life determined to improve the health care of impoverished areas around the world, namely Haiti, one of the poorest nations in the world. By doing this the audience learns of the horrible circumstances, and the lack of quality health care that nations like Haiti

Although I loved all of my at home volunteer work, I especially loved doing good in countries that needed more help. I sponsor a six year old girl in Bolivia named Reina through Compassion International, she is one of the most spectacular kids I have ever met. She lives in a barely livable cinder block house and yet she is beyond proud of every tiny detail of it. Reina lives with her 4 brothers, her mother, father, and her aunt in this two bedroom structure and yet they don’t complain one

Waiting for the Land, by Arie C. Leder, is an interesting book for a number of reasons. Leder does a good job looking at the Pentateuch as a whole story, and tying it into the narrative of the bible. Basically, the whole story of the Pentateuch covers the giving of the law (for the purpose of fellowship), rejection of the law, and departure from fellowship. Leder also states that the Pentateuch has a chiastic structure, with Genesis standing in contrast of Deuteronomy. Part of the Pentateuch discusses the Israelites complete failure to follow directions. For example, men in Genesis build a tower in attempt to “reach God” rather than pursue Him through sacrifice. Since Able knew to sacrifice to God, it seems clear that God did provide mankind with some kind of system for reaching out to Him, prior to the giving of the full law. Mankind took God’s earth, which was created for mankind to fellowship with God, and ruined it by following human impulses.

As the car slowly drives down the unpaved driveway I turn around to look at the barefoot children running after the car. As the car slowly drives away and the children fade away a broad grin spreads across my face. Just two months ago I would not have even dreamed of setting up a library in a poor government school in the slums of the Indian city of Jaipur.

Singer’s only focus is on malnutrition and improper medical care. Singer does not acknowledge certain global issues such as insufficient education to women and the lack of proper schools across the globe. More than sixty million girls across the world are not being educated. Either because their families sold them into marriage, girls are forced into sex trafficking, or simply because a country does not allow girls to attend school after they reach a certain grade level. Organizations such as GirlUp focus on providing proper education to girls and women across the globe in hopes of providing a future to the women and an opportunity for their children. Non-government organizations such as PeaceCorps send expert volunteers to teach communities how to build sustainable farms, teach basic medical care, and teach in schools. Instead of providing food and medical help like Singer suggests, a more practical approach would be to teach communities on how to thrive with what is around them.

The conversation I had with the father of a teenage boy with cerebral palsy who lived in the isolated village of Quicha Chico, was one of the moments that stood out to me most during my International Health Fellowship in Peru last summer. I was amazed by how the pair navigated the steep paths and uneven terrain in their village, with the dad carrying his son sitting on his shoulders, as had done since the boy was a toddler. Now, as an older man, it was amazing to see the lengths he went to carrying his son from their farm outside the village, for him to have a health screening by our team. Not only did it show me the desire for health care people have but it also showcased the other aspects of health and wellbeing that are so much broader than diagnoses and treatments. This young man in an isolated village in the Andes had never had a wheelchair and, even if he did, the terrain in and around his home would have made it impossible for him to use it. Additionally, it was discouraging to imagine what will happen to him once his father died, a fear his father shared with me. This young man could have accurate diagnosis and even all the available tools to live with his condition but isolation and lack of support eclipsed the effects his diagnosis and even medication or other clinical treatment could have had.