“On the whole, my main disagreements with this book were its dismissive lambasting of political correctness (mainly because I don't view it as subscribing to certain academically and societally approved terms to speak in euphemisms and demonstrate how well-educated on oppression you are, but having the care and respect to honor people through the language they choose for themselves; plus I think more people need to address the way the term "PC" has been deployed as an effective way to dismiss valid arguments for the existence of inequality and oppression) and its wholesale dismissal of so-called identity politics / the impact of race relations in the U.S. As I read the book, I was looking for more discussions of power, accountability and the legacies of colonialism / imperialism. There are engaging and relevant discussions of inequality and histories of oppression, but sometimes other questions went completely unaddressed. Despite the focus of the entire book, it seemed to be lacking in a more comprehensive acknowledgment of capitalism, economic policies furthering global inequalities, and the institutions that keep them in place. For instance, there was a throwaway mention of Dr. Farmer's disapproval of some of the World Bank's policies but not much more discussion on it, and a tiptoe around structural adjustment plans. Even so, this was a powerfully written book and it does live up to its descriptions: I did find it impressive and humbling, and I do believe that it causes the reader (in other words, me) to self-reflect. My most-marked part of the book was Paul Farmer's description of what he calls "WLs" or white liberals: "I love WL's, love 'em to death. They're on our side . . . . But WL's think all the world's problems can be fixed without any cost to themselves." Yes, yes, yes. Also, in the beginning I was a bit put-off by the obvious bias of the narrator and Kidder's clear presence in the text, but later I came to appreciate his frank acknowledgment of his and Farmer's discussions and disagreements. This book could only have been written by an outside perspective such as his, because plenty of times his questions opened a space in the text for discussion on Farmer's positions and actions, which felt necessary by the time I got halfway through the book. All in all, despite my unanswered questions, I found it engaging and impressive, though the description of the book as a "fairy tale" on the back cover made me seriously wonder if we'd read the same words.”
Kara C wrote this review Monday, September 1 2008.
(
reply |
permalink )