"Pathologies of Power" uses harrowing stories of life--and death--in extreme situations to interrogate our understanding of human rights. Paul Farm...
read full description
reviews
Feb 23, 2008
Maura
rated it: 
This book is every human rights activist's dream come true, because Farmer documents his efforts to provide quality health services in poor communities around the world, and he shows how the struggle for adequate health care is unavoidably connected to the struggle for other human rights.
Through various case studies, Farmer demonstrates that, contrary to the claims of most governments and international agencies, public health crises in poor communities can in fact be avoided. Most g More...
Through various case studies, Farmer demonstrates that, contrary to the claims of most governments and international agencies, public health crises in poor communities can in fact be avoided. Most g More...
2 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Oct 21, 2011
Rebecca
rated it: 
Paul Farmer is a doctor who, for the last 20 or so years made his lifes' work helping the poor. In this book Farmer takes on the disconnect between being poor and access to proper health care. He uses case studies to explain his point. Having spent most of his time outside of the United States and in countries like Russia and his favorite place, Haiti and Cuba. He weaves personal stories, case notes and well chosen quotes from poets and influential people to tell the story of these chronically d
More...
Jul 29, 2011
Jason
rated it:
Wow, what a powerful, angry depiction of social injustices in global health. Paul Farmer makes no secret his disdain for the chronic, institutional barriers for deploying modern medical advances to the world's poor (what he terms structural violence).
I found this work both sobering and motivating - sobered by the reality that I live in a hypocritical state, motivated by the opportunity to see things change.
While I overall agree with the challenges toward a change in the global health infrastruc More...
I found this work both sobering and motivating - sobered by the reality that I live in a hypocritical state, motivated by the opportunity to see things change.
While I overall agree with the challenges toward a change in the global health infrastruc More...
Jul 31, 2010
Tatiana
rated it:
This book is a clear call to action. If you've been following my reviews, you know that I've had an epiphany of sorts from following Dr. Paul Farmer's work. He's the doctor to the poor, the one who cofounded Partners in Health, which treats poor people in nine different countries all over the world, in some of the settings of extreme poverty. They've been working in Haiti for about 25 years, since the early 80s.
His books have raised my awareness of what's actually going on in th More...
His books have raised my awareness of what's actually going on in th More...
Apr 29, 2010
Mariana
rated it:
I so enjoyed this amazing, angry, revolutionary, and thought-provoking book based on the premise: each human holds the right to effective health care. Paul Farmer practices what he writes for at least 27 years.
"To act as a physician in the service of poor or otherwise oppressed people is to prevent, whenever possible, the diseases that afflict them but also to treat and, if possible, to cure. So where’s the innovation in that? How would a health intervention inspired by li More...
"To act as a physician in the service of poor or otherwise oppressed people is to prevent, whenever possible, the diseases that afflict them but also to treat and, if possible, to cure. So where’s the innovation in that? How would a health intervention inspired by li More...
Oct 23, 2009
W. Bradford
rated it:
It's books like this that make me temporarily enraged with America, its obscene affluence, and hypocritical Christian support of it, and that make me want to abandon my trek toward academia and do something more useful, like helping the oppressed.
Edit:
I should add that I'm not actually sure whether I should give this book 4 stars. From a Christian and theoretical standpoint, it's very lacking. He is not himself a Christian, and though he claims to draw on the insights of libe More...
Edit:
I should add that I'm not actually sure whether I should give this book 4 stars. From a Christian and theoretical standpoint, it's very lacking. He is not himself a Christian, and though he claims to draw on the insights of libe More...
Nov 24, 2009
Scott
rated it:
For health care activists, Paul Farmer is our hero. He is both a physician and an organizer/writer.
Farmer takes Haiti where he has worked for years, as his jumping off point with this book, and shows how health care is tied to class, power and justice. He uses tuberculosis as an example of how health care is treated in a society where injustice reigns. He shows that poor health for people in poor areas is a political decision, not an inevitable consequence of poor countries or areas More...
Farmer takes Haiti where he has worked for years, as his jumping off point with this book, and shows how health care is tied to class, power and justice. He uses tuberculosis as an example of how health care is treated in a society where injustice reigns. He shows that poor health for people in poor areas is a political decision, not an inevitable consequence of poor countries or areas More...
Mar 29, 2008
Maureen
rated it:
This book by the brilliant physician and human rights activist, Dr. Paul Farmer, is the single most trenchant analysis of our global human rights crisis I have ever read. Weaving together the inescapable links between poverty, food, shelter and healthcare, Dr. Farmer's book is a damning indictment of the international aid community.
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Dec 16, 2009
Ally
rated it: 
In Paul Farmer’s book, Pathologies of Power, he reveals in detail the struggle of the poor for social and economic rights, introducing these rights as the stepchildren of the human rights movement (Farmer xxiv). His thesis is groundbreaking as he emphasizes, “rights violations are, rather, symptoms of deeper pathologies of power and are linked intimately to the social conditions that so often determine who will suffer abuse and who will be shielded from harm” (Farmer 7). Through various case stu
More...
Jan 07, 2011
Harrison
rated it:
Paul Farmer’s Pathologies of Power is a written protest against the structural violence suffered by the poor. The first half of the book is devoted to anecdotes from his time spent in the rural highlands of Haiti, the HIV quarantine facilities of Guantanamo, the autonomous zones of Chiapas, and the prisons of Russia. Through these anecdotes Paul gives voice to the suffering poor in these areas in a way that neither dehumanizes nor romanticizes their suffering, a rare feat in literature about pov
More...
Nov 05, 2010
Jennifer
rated it:
This is a very eye-opening book, and a good introduction to Paul Farmer's way of thinking. He is truly an advocate for equality-global equality, true equality.
I greatly respect how Paul Farmer combines his knowledge of anthropology and medicine with his passion for working among the "forgotten and erased" people of our times, particularly citizens of Haiti. He exposes government policies for their fallacies (particularly American policies towards Haiti), speaks bluntly of t More...
I greatly respect how Paul Farmer combines his knowledge of anthropology and medicine with his passion for working among the "forgotten and erased" people of our times, particularly citizens of Haiti. He exposes government policies for their fallacies (particularly American policies towards Haiti), speaks bluntly of t More...
Feb 06, 2010
Faye
rated it:
I read Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder which is about Paul Farmer, this is the first book I have read written by Paul Farmer. He calls himself a physician and an anthropologist which makes a lot of sense from what I know about him. I also saw Tracy Kidder speak once and talk about his experience learning about and becoming friends with Paul Farmer. In Pathologies of Power he talks about "structured violence" against the poor around the world and he points out that the lac
More...
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Feb 27, 2009
Elie
rated it:
Farmer argues convincingly and at length for social and economic rights for the "other billion," pointing out increasing disparities in health and human rights for the world's poor. His solid footing in liberation theology and social justice make 'Pathologies of Power' a compelling read, particularly for those of us in healing professions like medicine or public health. His explanation of how international aid is often used to maintain a status quo that exacerbates inequality is food f
More...
Jul 31, 2011
Martha
rated it:
Farmer tells of his experiences working as a physician in Haiti, Russia and Peru. As an anthropologist he is careful and sensitive while describing the events he has witnessed in prisons and clinics in these countries.
Farmer offers some useful criticisms and recommendations, while they are largely long term solutions he also reminds us there is much to be done at home to ensure we do not continue contributing to the violence and utter neglect of health/human rights issues in other parts More...
Farmer offers some useful criticisms and recommendations, while they are largely long term solutions he also reminds us there is much to be done at home to ensure we do not continue contributing to the violence and utter neglect of health/human rights issues in other parts More...
Jun 02, 2011
Lora
rated it:
Overall, this book makes some important points that should be considered by people working in the field of global health, development, missions, healthcare, and government. Paul Farmer is a very wordy writer, but sifting through the mess may be worth it.
One very strong takeaway from the end of the book is that we often make excuses in the name of "sustainability" or "cost-effectiveness." Farmer's point is that these can easily become excuses to deliver sub-par More...
One very strong takeaway from the end of the book is that we often make excuses in the name of "sustainability" or "cost-effectiveness." Farmer's point is that these can easily become excuses to deliver sub-par More...
Nov 26, 2008
Dj
rated it:
Prior to my trip to Santa Fe, I finished reading Pathologies of Power: Health, Human Rights, and the New War on the Poor, by Paul Farmer. I wanted to finish it up before I moderated our HIV/AIDS panel at CGS’s second annual conference. I wanted to see if there was any great material I could draw on for my portion of the panel.
This is a great book, which really helped drill in his concept of “a preferential option for the poor”. It laid out a solid epidemiological case and backed it up More...
This is a great book, which really helped drill in his concept of “a preferential option for the poor”. It laid out a solid epidemiological case and backed it up More...
Jan 16, 2010
This book is about suffering, public and individual health, poverty, and the human right to be healthy. It makes the case that access to health care is an often violated human right and that this is unacceptable on moral grounds, drawing on examples from Farmer's personal observations in Haiti, the US, Russia, Peru, and Mexico. There is heavy criticism of global inequality. I think I need to re-read the book to fully understand it, though. Occasionally I had trouble knitting together the ideas i
More...
Oct 12, 2008
Yorgos
rated it:
I had trouble getting through this book. It was dense, full of statistics and academic terms I was unfamiliar with. He created or adopted a vocabulary and a way of writing to fit the subject matter, ostensibly to make it easier to describe what he wanted to say, but it felt at times like the vocabulary was just to cover a vagueness in how he tied his experiences together. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I didn't get it.
The experiences themselves, described in the first half of the b More...
The experiences themselves, described in the first half of the b More...
Oct 05, 2008
Andrew
rated it:
Pathologies of Power is an angry-toned book describing structural violence and how it impacts health and human rights of the poor.
Though he never defines structural violence, Farmer provides vivid examples to explain the structural depravities (ie. oppressive propped up dictatorships, developed nations that decry human rights abuses but than sell arms to offenders that propagate the human rights abuses) that underly poverty and poor health. He has the unique perspective from his vas More...
Though he never defines structural violence, Farmer provides vivid examples to explain the structural depravities (ie. oppressive propped up dictatorships, developed nations that decry human rights abuses but than sell arms to offenders that propagate the human rights abuses) that underly poverty and poor health. He has the unique perspective from his vas More...
Nov 16, 2007
Zachary
rated it:
Pathologies of Power is the impassioned work of Dr. Paul Farmer (whose life was detailed in Mountains Beyond Mountains), a doctor on a mission to provide health care to the world's poor. In Pathologies of Power, Dr. Farmer discusses the systems that cause those living in poverty to suffer increased threats to their human rights, especially their health, a concept he terms "structural violence." He goes on to write that more must be done than simply researching and recognizing these h
More...
Oct 23, 2007
Stephen
rated it:
While Farmer's writing style is not always fantastic, that is not of much import to my opinion of his book.
As Tracy Kidder points out in his review: "This is an angry and a hopeful book, and, like everything Dr. Farmer has written, it has both passion and authority." Through a series of narratives and background information relating to Farmer's experiences in poverty stricken areas, he very effectively shows some direct connections between the way many of us live our liv More...
As Tracy Kidder points out in his review: "This is an angry and a hopeful book, and, like everything Dr. Farmer has written, it has both passion and authority." Through a series of narratives and background information relating to Farmer's experiences in poverty stricken areas, he very effectively shows some direct connections between the way many of us live our liv More...
Jun 11, 2007
Meredith
rated it:
Farmer's well-documented look into the structure of poverty, aid, and human rights is fascinating and frustrating all at once. While his case studies are somewhat dry in the telling (to be expected from a physician and academic presenting the facts), his humanity leaps off the page in the details. His argument is punctuated with a compendium of relevant sources for more reading.
His thesis is groundbreaking. He argues that poverty is a symptom of human rights violations (in the form More...
His thesis is groundbreaking. He argues that poverty is a symptom of human rights violations (in the form More...
Jun 24, 2011
Pamela
rated it:
"Pathologies of Power" reads like a manifesto. Farmer criticizes both charity and development models of international aid, arguing that civil and humanitarian rights are not sufficient to lift people out of destitution and sickness; the world's poor really need economic and social rights. The book is at times staggering, depressing, and repetitive. It's a convincing wake-up call and a rallying cry and, unfortunately, probably only going to be read by people already sympathetic to Farme
More...
Dec 30, 2009
Andrea
rated it:
A truly awesome and awe-inspiring introduction to the connection between health and human rights. Paul Farmer grounds the book in his experiences treating impoverished patients in Haiti, Russia and Chiapas. He elucidates the countless methods by which structural violence further violates and shackles them, and shines a light on the connections of that structural violence to organizations and institutions in the developed world that enable it and indeed profit by it. Assertions are well-cited,
More...
Feb 10, 2009
Meg
rated it:
This probably isn't most people's idea of recreational reading, but Farmer's view of the aid community and how first world powers use aid and don't aid when they should really resonated with me. It's an angry book from one who knows just how angry we all should be. This has me looking for more of what he has written. I am particularly interested in more about Haiti. It wasn't always comfortable. We are all complicit in this and I could feel my own complicity as I read it. I thought about paralle
More...
Dec 16, 2009
Thomas
rated it: 
i read this quickly for a paper about liberation theology (farmer is a fan), and have been trying to figure out how to fit farmer into the various debates and have been struggling. In an attempt to get a grip on him i punched into google successively, "critique of paul farmer," "criticize paul farmer," "criticism of paul farmer." Nothing, nothing, nothing. In the whole big internet?! This guy has written a book self-styled as a stab in the eye to power structures an
More...
Jul 01, 2009
Mica
rated it:
This was assigned to me in my Development Anthropology class years ago, but I'm re-reading it, because I probably missed a lot of things that my frazzled, school-tasked brain disregarded because I had to write a specific paper on it. So far, I am right. Truly eye opening, and despite the fact that it's a more scholarly read, it's an easy read and totally engrossing, that is, if you're a public health nerd like I am.
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Dec 20, 2010
Allison
rated it:
Paul Farmer is a hero. This book is harrowing, heartbreaking, sometimes demoralizing, but ultimately Farmer is clear-thinking enough to not only challenge the problems he sees but to analyze and try to rectify the structures that cause those problems. This is not a book for the faint-hearted, and Farmer certainly doesn't pull any punches. He is (justifiably) angry and (admirably) bold; his writings always strike me as a personal challenge that I hope to live up to in some small way.
Oct 18, 2009
this is going to be a long one, but Paul Farmer is one hell of a doctor, humanitarian, anthropologist and writing. last recommended by an Kenya RPCV-now emergency room doctor I met in L.A., though I first browsed through it from the shelves of a friend in Panama. looking forward to delving into that world again.
