Paul Farmer is an anthropologist and physician and co-founder of the non-profit healthcare organization Partners in Health. Born in 1959 in North Adams, Massachusetts, and raised in Florida, Farmer earned a bachelor’s degree at Duke University and master’s and doctorate degrees from Harvard University. The recipient of a MacArthur genius grant, among many other awards and recognitions, he is also the author of several books, including Infections and Inequalities, The of Haiti, and, most recently, Fevers, Feuds, and Diamonds, about the 2013-2016 Ebola outbreak in Western Africa.

Mountains Beyond Mountains tracks Paul Farmer’s growth from a brilliant child with a large family living in buses and boats to an internationally renowned doctor, anthropologist, and public health expert. Kidder presents Farmer as a prescient, moral voice who doesn’t care if his dedication to his mission puts others off. Farmer’s greatest strength is that he enjoys being a doctor. Unlike others of his stature, Farmer meets with patients for extended periods and maintains close contact even if they have severe diseases. At one point, Farmer escorts political protestors away from a crackdown and then returns to help others. Against the wishes of those who want him to take a more managerial role, he makes house calls in Haiti, spending hours walking to and from Zanmi Lasante; he notes this is “when I feel most alive” (295).