This is a wonderful and thought-provoking book. It's wonderful because it tells the inspirational story of a brilliant doctor who does everything in his power to save the lives of poor Haitians who are suffering from TB and AIDS. It's thought-provoking because it makes one realize how much more each of us could do to help others.

Paul Farmer is brilliant and driven. He got his MD and his PHD simultaneously from Harvard, while spending half his time setting up a clinic in Haiti. In later years, he was an MD at a Boston hospital, and a Harvard professor, while running the Partners In Health clinic in Haiti. In his spare time he wrote books, papers, answered 200 email messages per day, and still found time to hand-write thank-you notes to donors. But his main passion was to treat patients.

But what make him most unusual is that he combines these traits with unusually good people skills. As a doctor, he is able to focus his attention on the patient, making that person the center of the world, in a friendly, concerned, and unhurried way. As a social creature, he is truly interested in people, building an incredibly broad network of people who like and respect him. As a leader, he is able to convince people to see things his way, so that they will help him with time, money, or medical supplies. He knows how to use this set of skills to achieve his goals, from healing an individual patient, to convincing wealthy donors to support him.

Tracy Kidder, the author of The Soul of a New Machine and House, does an excellent job of portraying this complex individual. He spends enough time with Farmer that you get a true sense of Farmer's personality and how he uses it. Kidder inserts himself into the story more than do most biographers. This lets him be more direct about how Farmer initially comes across, how he directs the discourse to illustrate his goals, and how he earns people's respect over time.

This is a lively and engaging book that will appeal to just about anybody who likes to read about influential personalities. If you are concerned about the fate of the poor in third world nations, or world health issues, this is one not to miss. I highly recommend it.