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

The first time I heard about Dr. Paul Farmer was when he was asked to give the commencement speech at Boston College in 2005. As a newcomer to Boston that year, I was not yet familiar with Dr. Farmer's educational history in the city (earning a Ph.D. and M.D. at nearby Harvard University) or with his endeavors creating Partners in Health (PIH) many years before. A friend was kind enough to give me her copy of Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder, which had been published only 1 year prior to Dr. Farmer's Boston College commencement speech. This book detailed Dr. Farmer's work around the world, but specifically in Haiti, where he was attempting to bring secure health care to one of the world's poorest countries. I was immediately entranced by Dr. Farmer's efforts, and I have continued to be amazed at his accomplishments. Dr. Farmer would have inspired me if my knowledge of him stopped at the reading of this book, but hearing his commencement speech that year increased my admiration for the immense amount of work that he has put into PIH worldwide. To Repair the World is a book that consists primarily of commencement and awards speeches that Dr. Farmer has made in the past 12 years. I was excited to see that the Boston College commencement speech is included, along with speeches given at Har-School of Medicine, and Johns Hop-kins Bloomberg School of Public Health, to name a few. Each one of Dr. Farmer's speeches has a unique angle and message to its audience. Although most of his speeches draw from similar stories or sentiments, Dr. Farmer was able to confidently tailor each discourse to the student body to whom he was speaking. He makes jokes about his " Hog-warts attire " and living up to Stephen Col-bert (the 2011 speaker at Northwestern University). He is not afraid to use pop culture references, although some of his jokes reminded me of puns that my dad uses when he wants to appear younger than he is. Jokes aside, the quality of Paul Farmer's speeches lies in the heart of his subject matter , which should not be taken lightly. The book is divided into four sections: " Reimagining Equity, " " The Future of Medicine and the Big Picture, " " Health, Human Rights and Unnatural Disasters, " and " Service, Solidarity, and Social Justice. " Each …