Haiti After the Earthquake

By: Paul Farmer

Narrated by: Meryl Streep, Edoardo Ballerini, Edwidge Danticat

On January 12, 2010, a major earthquake struck near Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Hundreds of thousands of people died, and the greater part of the capital was demolished. Dr. Paul Farmer, U.N. deputy special envoy to Haiti, who had worked in the country for nearly thirty years treating infectious diseases like tuberculosis and AIDS, and former President Bill Clinton, the U.N. special envoy to Haiti, had just begun to work on an extensive development plan to improve living conditions in Haiti. Now their project was transformed into a massive international rescue and relief effort.

In his own words, Farmer documents this effort, including the harrowing obstacles and the small triumphs. Despite an outpouring of aid, the challenges were astronomical. U.N. plans were crippled by Haiti's fragile infrastructure and the death of U.N. staff members who had been based in Port-au-Prince. In chronicling the relief effort, Farmer draws attention to the social issues that made Haiti so vulnerable to this natural disaster.

Yet Farmer's account is not a gloomy catalog of impenetrable problems. As devastating as Haiti's circumstances are, its population manages to keep going. Farmer shows how, even in the barest camps, Haitians organize themselves, creating small businesses such as beauty parlors. His narrative is interwoven with stories from Haitians themselves and from doctors and others working on the ground. Ultimately this is a story of human endurance and humility in difficult circumstances and seemingly overwhelming odds.

©2011 Paul Farmer. Recorded by arrangement with PublicAffairs TM, a member of the Perseus Books Group. (P)2011 (p) 2011 HighBridge Company

If you read one book about Haiti make it this one

Farmer's knowledge of, and commitment to, Haiti is perhaps unparalleled by renowned authors.

An illustrative tour de force capturing the devastation, hope, and resilience of Haiti and Haitians.

Lacks the usual condescension, paternal aggrandizement and self-censorship usually associated with narrations of Haiti. An open and honest account of Haiti after the earthquake including triumphs and shortfalls.

For those familiar with Farmer's work, or with an interest in Haiti or poverty alleviation or social justice, this book is highly recommended.

Here's to hoping they turn "Infections and Inequalities" and "The Uses of Haiti" into audiobooks as well.

Emotionally visual. Enduringly hopeful.

This book vividly describes, in particular, stories from the day and aftermath of the 2010 earthquake in Haiti. It also tells of the history, culture, and people of Haiti which allowed me a deeper insight into this tragic disaster. But my last impression is of hope and a call to action to the world to support our brothers and sisters in Haiti.

It’s more Farmer, less Haiti

The book should have been titled, Haiti: the lessons learned from Rwanda. This was somewhat of a puff piece by Farmer and wasn’t as much about Haiti as it was about how Farmer compares Haiti to Rwanda. He also forced the name of his organization in as much as he could to the point it sounded like an infomercial.