April Not Fiction Book Discussions

One of the most inspiring books we have read for our Not Fiction Book Discussions is Mountains Beyond Mountains by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Tracy Kidder, the story of Dr. Paul Farmer and his quest to provide free, dignified health care for people in Haiti and beyond with his nonprofit organization Partners In Health. In his new book, Strength in What Remains, Kidder tells the story of a young man who worked for Farmer at Partners In Health, a hero for our times. Deogratias, a medical student from Burundi, survived civil war and genocide in Burundi and Rwanda and fled to America, where he found himself homeless, plagued by nightmares of the violence he had witnessed, and with no English. The story of how he met strangers who would help him find his way to medical school and of how, with great hope and forgiveness, he established a medical clinic in Burundi, "transcends the moment and becomes as powerful and compelling as those journeys of myth" (Jonathan Harr). Kidder writes, "When Deo first told me about his beginnings in New York, I had a simple thought: 'I would not have survived.'" What were the ingredients in Deo's almost mythical ability not just to survive but to transcend? Providence? Character? Experience? The coincidence of meeting the right people at the right time? And what can we learn from this great story of our times?

We invite you to join our discussions: Tuesday, April 6 at 6:30 p.m. at Main Library; Thursday, April 22 at 11:00 a.m. at West Ashley Branch Library; or here on the blog.

To learn more about Partners in Health, Paul Farmer's nonprofit, visit http://www.pih.org/.

To learn more about Village Health Works, Deogratias' nonprofit, which has served more than 28,000 patients since opening its doors in December 2007, visit http://www.villagehealthworks.org/.