This is truly my favorite book in the entire world. I keep a handful of uses copies on my bookshelf, and will thrust this book into the hands of any unsuspecting friend who might casually admit she hasn’t heard of Paul Farmer, or doesn’t know much about Haiti.
Whenever I feel down or ineffectual, I can plop myself onto a bench, couch, or patch of grass and re-read MBM to, somehow, feel a little better about the world. This is a serious book that takes on serious issues, but it shows that where compassion, solidarity, and an urge to make a difference are present, so too can be some progress in alleviating even the worst of human suffering. Tracy Kidder is a Pulitzer Prize winning author, Paul Farmer is a nearly mythical doctor who has inspired a generation of medical students, public health workers, and everday folk alike; together Kidder and Farmer make one heck of a great book — it’s no coincidence that so many colleges in the US now have this book as required reading. If you’ve not read it, you owe it to yourself to get a copy.