Review by Booklist Review
Port-au-Prince was th. most fragile cit. distinguished global-health expert Farmer knew of even before January 2010, so he feared the worst when the catastrophic earthquake hit. An American medical doctor, Harvard professor, and cofounder of Partners in Health, Farmer has a deep bond with Haiti, including a Haitian wife and family, and he knew that the earthquake was far more than a natural disaster, given Haiti's chronic financial, environmental, and social ills. After a crisp summary of Haitian history, visceral accounts of rescue efforts, and a thorough assessment of th. execrable living condition. more than a million displaced people continue to endure, Farmer, currently UN deputy special envoy for Haiti, offers candid insider analysis of what is truly required for a healthier, just, and sustainable Haitian future. Farmer's clarion and moving chronicle is followed by powerful essays by other doctors, community organizer Didi Bertrand Farmer, author Edwidge Danticat, and radio journalist and UN advisor Michele Montas-Dominique, who writes, Through coups d'etat, hurricanes, and earthquakes, we have been rebuilding Haiti, seemingly from scratch, for two hundred years. --Seaman, Donn. Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
A physician and former United Nations deputy special envoy, Paul Farmer shares insights and experiences from his humanitarian work following the massive earthquake that devastated Haiti in 2010, while offering supplemental essays from a host of key players in the recovery process. In this audio edition-read by various narrators-Eric Conger effectively captures Farmer's range of emotions, both those of a physician desperately seeking care for the wounded and of a public policy expert grown weary with the political forces that have contributed to the plight of the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere. Downplaying her star power, Meryl Streep provides a gentle maternal touch to several of the accompanying narratives and shines as Farmer's wife, Didi, a Haitian-born anthropologist. And bestselling author Edwidge Danticat provides a memorable performance in describing the anxiety of Haitian-Americans awaiting news about the fate of loved ones in the hours and days following the disaster. A PublicAffairs hardcover. (Aug.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review
Farmer, the UN deputy special envoy for Haiti and chair of Global Health and Social Medicine at Harvard, describes the horrifying devastation of the 7.0 earthquake that hit Port-au-Prince on January 12, 2010, and points out how colonial rule, brutal dictator-ships, ineffective economic policies, and uncoordinated NGO donations contributed to the destruction and slow recovery. He stresses the need to encourage a strong central government with careful planning and management of foreign aid in order to "build back better." Essays by Edwidge Danticat, Evan Lyon, and others provide moving, firsthand accounts of their experiences with the quake. Farmer and Meryl Streep convey hope and concern through their strong, clear narration. Highly recommended for anyone interested in knowing more about this proud nation trying to recover from natural disasters and years of dysfunction. ["Farmer demonstrates his deep love for Haiti while at the same time pushing for the drastic foreign and domestic reforms needed to rebuild this troubled nation," read the starred review of the Public-Affairs: Perseus hc, LJ 7/11.-Ed.]-Nancy R. Ives, SUNY at Geneseo (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
From the UN Deputy Special Envoy for Haiti and chair of the Department of Global Health and Social Medicine at Harvard Medical School, and members of his team, a searing firsthand account of the earthquake and its aftermath.Farmer (Partner to the Poor: A Paul Farmer Reader, 2010, etc.) presents consequences of the outrage that U.S. lawe.g., the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961makes it impossible to do what needs to be done in a country like Haiti. Relief and reconstruction funds cannot go to government agencies or to rebuild government infrastructure; instead, they must be funneled into NGOs. Haiti's government, writes the author, is operating out of a small police station on a shoestring budget. More than 40 percent of government employees were killed, and 28 out of 29 ministries were leveled. Yet, under the ruling law, because of Haiti's history of human-rights violations, the United States cannot contribute to rebuilding government infrastructure or paying public employees, including doctors, nurses and medical technicians. The NGOs and volunteers who receive the funds can't discuss policy priorities, make laws or coordinate the scale of activity required, and they siphon funds into overhead and operating costs. Farmer has been involved in Haiti for 25 years, during which time he has warned policy makers about the country's precarious position. Unfortunately, the results have been very close to what he was predicted for yearsat least 2 million people are still displaced, one-third of the population is directly affected and cholera has become a major problem. Other contributors to this book include Edwidge Danticat, Evan Lyon and Dubique Kobel.An eye-opener of a report and a wake-up call that change is needed.]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
