Haiti After the Earthquake

Starred review from October 31, 2011
A physician and former United Nations deputy special envoy, Paul Farmer shares insights and experiences from his humanitarian work following the massive earthquake that devastated Haiti in 2010, while offering supplemental essays from a host of key players in the recovery process. In this audio edition—read by various narrators—Eric Conger effectively captures Farmer’s range of emotions, both those of a physician desperately seeking care for the wounded and of a public policy expert grown weary with the political forces that have contributed to the plight of the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere. Downplaying her star power, Meryl Streep provides a gentle maternal touch to several of the accompanying narratives and shines as Farmer’s wife, Didi, a Haitian-born anthropologist. And bestselling author Edwidge Danticat provides a memorable performance in describing the anxiety of Haitian-Americans awaiting news about the fate of loved ones in the hours and days following the disaster. A PublicAffairs hardcover.

June 15, 2011

From the UN Deputy Special Envoy for Haiti and chair of the Department of Global Health and Social Medicine at Harvard Medical School, and members of his team, a searing firsthand account of the earthquake and its aftermath.

Farmer (Partner to the Poor: A Paul Farmer Reader, 2010, etc.) presents consequences of the outrage that U.S. law—e.g., the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961—makes it impossible to do what needs to be done in a country like Haiti. Relief and reconstruction funds cannot go to government agencies or to rebuild government infrastructure; instead, they must be funneled into NGOs. Haiti's government, writes the author, is operating out of a small police station on a shoestring budget. More than 40 percent of government employees were killed, and 28 out of 29 ministries were leveled. Yet, under the ruling law, because of Haiti's history of human-rights violations, the United States cannot contribute to rebuilding government infrastructure or paying public employees, including doctors, nurses and medical technicians. The NGOs and volunteers who receive the funds can't discuss policy priorities, make laws or coordinate the scale of activity required, and they siphon funds into overhead and operating costs. Farmer has been involved in Haiti for 25 years, during which time he has warned policy makers about the country's precarious position. Unfortunately, the results have been very close to what he was predicted for years—at least 2 million people are still displaced, one-third of the population is directly affected and cholera has become a major problem. Other contributors to this book include Edwidge Danticat, Evan Lyon and Dubique Kobel.

An eye-opener of a report and a wake-up call that change is needed.

(COPYRIGHT (2011) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

Starred review from July 1, 2011

On January 12, 2010, the whole world witnessed the catastrophic earthquake that struck Haiti and the devastation that followed. Having worked in Haiti for almost 30 years, Farmer (UN Deputy Special Envoy for Haiti; global health & social medicine, Harvard) draws on his vast experience to explain what he calls the "acute on chronic problem" that exists in the aftermath of the quake. He recounts the chronic problems caused by Haiti's history of colonial rule, damaging foreign and domestic economic policies, and the resulting abundance of well-meaning but dysfunctional humanitarian aid. Farmer does not deny the horror of the earthquake, but he pushes for closer examination of the problems in Haiti that made this natural disaster so destructive and the efforts to help its citizens extremely difficult. He argues for a more progressive rebuilding plan in Haiti to "build back better." Also included are essays from earthquake survivors, doctors, and other volunteers, which lend a more personal tone to the book. VERDICT Farmer demonstrates his deep love for Haiti while at the same time pushing for the drastic foreign and domestic reforms needed to rebuild this troubled nation. Highly recommended for anyone interested in learning more about the history of, and recovery efforts in, Haiti.--Veronica Arellano, California, MD

Copyright 2011 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2011
Port-au-Prince was the most fragile city distinguished global-health expert Farmer knew of even before January 2010, so he feared the worst when the catastrophic earthquake hit. An American medical doctor, Harvard professor, and cofounder of Partners in Health, Farmer has a deep bond with Haiti, including a Haitian wife and family, and he knew that the earthquake was far more than a natural disaster, given Haiti's chronic financial, environmental, and social ills. After a crisp summary of Haitian history, visceral accounts of rescue efforts, and a thorough assessment of the execrable living conditions more than a million displaced people continue to endure, Farmer, currently UN deputy special envoy for Haiti, offers candid insider analysis of what is truly required for a healthier, just, and sustainable Haitian future. Farmer's clarion and moving chronicle is followed by powerful essays by other doctors, community organizer Didi Bertrand Farmer, author Edwidge Danticat, and radio journalist and UN advisor Michele Montas-Dominique, who writes, Through coups d''tat, hurricanes, and earthquakes, we have been rebuilding Haiti, seemingly from scratch, for two hundred years.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)