To Repair The World: Paul Farmer Speaks To The Next Generation (2013) - Plot & Excerpts
What an inspiring read! So many things in this book made me think, "yes, yes, yes"! Paul Farmer is my new hero, or, perhaps more accurately, I want to be him when I grow up. I found so many things in this book inspiring - his spirituality, his view of medicine, his hopes for the world - it makes me interested in learning more about him and his organization (Partners in Health). This book is a compilation of speeches, mostly commencement addresses, which is both a really nice format and a little tiring. Farmer edited it and put them into sections based on subject and wrote a short introduction to each. It's nice to have short little bits that have a clear beginning and end (like a collection of essays), but sometimes the repetition of graduation speech jokes (he has a lot of them) was a little tiring. As can be expected, there are also a lot of references to the events and situations surrounding each of his speeches, but as some of them are more than ten years old, I wasn't always entirely up to speed. Overall, though, I think that this book serves as a great introduction to Farmer and his work. One of the most interesting and meaningful parts of this book, and Farmer's work in general, is his views on aid and accompaniment. After my trip to El Salvador (and learning about the concept of accompaniment through the church and the organization SHARE), I was concerned about the mission and form of Partners in Health. This book really explains that they (and Farmer himself) intend to be exactly what they say - Partners. He explains that he and his colleagues really intend to share in the future of those they serve and walk together every step of the way. He shares that the ideas of liberation theology have been critical in both his own spiritual journey and in forming PIH. Most of all, Farmer's stories and thoughts made me excited about going into medicine. He talks about accompaniment on both a large scale and a small one - he also refers to this as "social medicine" - and the importance of really getting to know patients in order to understand the barriers that stand in their way to health (both abroad and in the US). Many people have suggested that doctors aren't the ones who really get to know their patients, but that's not the vision that Farmer has for the world of modern health care, which I found really exciting. I can't wait to read more of his work! Fantastic, inspiring snippets from Paul Farmer! The format, a collection of speeches, kept the book lighthearted despite the sometimes heavy hitting stories that he told. A very motivating read for those interested in, indeed "repairing the world" with all its inequalities, discrimination, and sick untreated patients. I love knowing that there are in fact people who are DOING things to fix the wrongs in the world. My only complaint about this book is that constantly reading speech introductions got a bit tiresome.
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