Bill Gates's Blog: Gates Notes, page 60

To Repair the World: Paul Farmer Speaks to the Next Generation

Of all the books Paul has written, this is the best for non-experts. It's a collection of a number speeches he's given – primarily at commencement ceremonies. He's quite eloquent and uses stories in a powerful way.

The Uses of Haiti

Paul Farmer has worked in Haiti for two decades. The country has struggled for years, and Farmer makes the case that U.S. policy has often been hurtful to Haiti’s poor. The book is somewhat controversial for that reason.

Reimagining Global Health: An Introduction

Paul Farmer, Jim Yong Kim, and Arthur Kleinman take an interdisciplinary approach to global health, considering history, geography, ethnography, and more. Based on a Harvard course, it's a great resource for anyone studying public health.

Pathologies of Power: Health, Human Rights, and the New War on the Poor

Paul Farmer has seen the effects of poverty firsthand. He takes you into his experience in these stories, to make his argument that promoting social and economic justice is the most important challenge of our time.

Partner to the Poor: A Paul Farmer Reader

If you’re not familiar with Paul Farmer and his work, this collection of his writing will give you a lot of insight into his work as a doctor, anthropologist, and advocate for the poor. He’s traveled extensively and has visited and lived in some of the poorest places in the world.

In the Company of the Poor: Conversations with Dr. Paul Farmer and Fr. Gustavo Gutierrez

This book is a conversation between Paul Farmer and Gustavo Gutierrez, a leading voice in liberation theology. They inspired each other in their respective work and their dedication to helping the poor. I found it thoughtful and inspiring.

Infections and Inequalities: The Modern Plaques

Today, the poor are disproportionately more likely to suffer and die from plagues—diseases such as AIDS, TB, malaria, and cholera. Farmer’s concern is that the global health community emphasizes strategies that blame the victims instead of seeking solutions.

Global Health in Times of Violence

Paul Farmer contributed to this book, which looks at the public health costs of all types of violence, particularly in poor countries, through a series of case studies. It’s something of a contrasting perspective to one of my favorite books, The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined.

AIDS and Accusation: Haiti and the Geography of Blame

Here Farmer challenges the idea that HIV came to North America from Haiti, suggesting that the idea is rooted in racism and ethnocentrism. He asks similar questions about U.S. attitudes in one of his books, The Uses of Haiti.

A Visit to Haiti, and the Biggest Hellraiser I Know