The Season Two Finale aired Sunday, December 6, 2009, and the free podcast is available to download on our iTunes page!
This episode features Pulitzer Prize winner Tracy Kidder(left), the author of Mountains Beyond Mountains — an acclaimed nonfiction account of international health icon Dr. Paul Farmer — and also the recently released Strength in What Remains.
Kidder’s Strength in What Remains tells the astounding true story of a young man from Burundi who escapes genocide, only to arrive in New York City with only $200 in his pocket and no knowledge of the English language. The man, named Deo, sleeps on park benches in Central Park… until he manages to attend Columbia University, complete a medical degree, and go back to his native country to found a clinic.
In this episode, Kidder joins Radio Rounds as part of his book tour for Strength in What Remains. Kidder describes his experiences with Dr. Farmer and Deo — specifically, what it was like to immerse himself in their lives, their worlds and then write his best-selling books about them. He comments on the process of being with Deo as he returned to the country, Burundi, where he at one time had lost almost everything he had.