Reading+Reflections

Brandon Mogrovejo - 09/14/10 - New Visions Education – English - **Reflection #1** – My Sister’s Keeper

What really grabbed my attention when first opening up the novel “My Sister’s Keeper” was how mature Anna Fitzgerald’s character was. She was smart, witty, and funny; traits normally found in an experienced woman of her late 20’s to early 30’s (and even then, that woman has to be pretty established as a humorous adult). Remarkably, when the next chapter switched over to Campbell’s character, I found his jokes less entertaining then Anna’s, which only further captivated me. As a child at her age, I was still emerging from my kid-like behavior and did not grasp even a little maturity until my sophomore year of high school. I was more concerned with skateboarding and defying the authority of my parents; the whole teenage rebellion kind-of-thing fit my description. My concern may have been on independance, but maybe not as strong as Anna's. I did not think or act on the level she did and thats probaly due to the circumstances we were both placed in. Her setting may have pushed her more towards maturity while my situation threw me to where most teens land in. In short, I find it impressive Anna can be such an intriguing character at such a young age because as a child, I wasn’t nearly as appealing.

Brandon Mogrovejo - 09/18/10 New Visions Education - English - **Reflection #2** – My Sister’s Keeper

Sara Fitzgerald is a hard character to understand. All the readings so far from her point of view have been in the past, not dealing with the current situation. That makes it hard to know what she’s thinking and what she truly feels. Does she love Anna equally to Kate? Is she just using Anna to help the one daughter she loves the most? These questions run through my mind as I dwell deeper into the book. Nevertheless, I am reading it from her past perspective and not at the moment of this crisis with Anna so I can’t just produce a bias answer. For all I know, Sara really cares about Anna as her own daughter, not just a tool for the benefit of Kate. At the moment however, Sara seems to be a little cruel, such as when in the court room. Rather than try and understand her daughter has put a lot of thought into this and have respect for her decision, she completely jumps on the offensive for the purpose of Kate, who herself will most likely, have an inevitable death. In school, I once heard a story about a surrogate mother who would not give up the child to the real mother. This happened a while back, but it’s a perfect example of the lengths a woman would go through for her child; even though the surrogate mom knew that it was rightfully the other mother’s kid, she refused to give it up at first. It just shows that a mother will go to lengths for her child, just as Sara appears to be doing. Brandon Mogrovejo - 09/23/10 New Visions Education – English - **Reflection #3** – My Sister’s Keeper

I’ve learned two things from my last reading: Brian Fitzgerald seems on the laid back spectrum of parenthood, and Sara Fitzgerald is on the other end. Now, originally I thought Brian was a good parent and Sara was misunderstood. However, now I’m not so sure of either. In Sara’s flashback to 1997, Anna is going for her bone marrow transplant in order to help out Kate. Though she is hesitant, Anna decides to do it. Now, my 21 year old cousin needed the same thing when he had leukemia. The donor dropped out at the last second, leaving him on another waiting list of god knows how long. My aunt found him dead shortly after in his home, his medications left untouched, almost as if he had given up hope. There could be a multitude of reasons of why the donor dropped out, but my best assumption is because of the pain; adults in my family have told me it is extremely difficult to go through. Now, imagining a child of Anna’s age dealing with the same thing is pretty deep. For Sara to simply say, “Thank you”, and walk out of the room, momentarily glimpsing at the long needle about to put into Anna’s hip bone, before rushing back up to Kate, not only seems selfish, but almost completely neglectful. To make matters worse, after the procedure is over and Anna is requesting her mom, Sara has to be told twice before she decides to go; at that point though, Brian has already crafted something with her. Now, Brian should be more adult the situation and trade off with Sarah; both parents should kind of go half and half. Sarah’s mindset is just completely on Kate however, and to me, at the moment, it seems that both parents are on opposite ends: Brian being too careless and Sarah being too dedicated.

Brandon Mogrovejo - 09/28/10  New Visions Education – English - **Reflection #4** – My Sister’s Keeper

At this point in the book, you can obviously see that Jesse engages in some pretty destructive behaviors; burning down buildings, smoking, and drinking to name a few. However, when he goes to burn down another empty building, this time bringing his homeless friend along, he discovers that a man called “Rat” lives inside the very structure crumbling at that moment. This part got me thinking: Jesse runs into the crumbling, hot mess of the building to save Rat. Despite the time it takes searching around, the burn of the flame at his skin, and the little oxygen available, Jesse doesn’t give up until he manages to find the homeless man. After pulling him to safety, he flees the scene because the sounds of sirens are only moments away. This dramatic event showed what I believe is the good inside Jesse; that same good that he may have had as a child. A reader such as myself can forget he was once innocent based on all the things he does now as a young adult. I assume most of us haven’t been placed in his situation; not me to say the least. I’m fairly lucky for what I have, but like any teenager, I complain sometimes about my situation. I fail to realize how blessed I am to not have a sibling in Kate’s situation. I feel that if Kate had never become sick, Jesse may have grown to be a smart, well-mannered individual. Deep down he’s a kind hearted person and it just happened that his childhood self was misguided into a juvenile, attention needing person.

Brandon Mogrovejo - 11/19/10

New Visions Health – English - **Reflection #5** – Thank You For Smoking

What I really enjoy about Nick, the main character, is that he’s your stereotypical male. He has that egocentric attitude that the world revolves around him. What I think though, is that this is more of a cover up to his career. He has to be this way, or else he would be out of the job. Deep down, there probably isn’t the cold, deadly heart that one might expect to accompany a “merchant of death”. Now, what I really enjoyed from the start of the book was when Nick gets his moment on the Oprah show…and completely seizes it. He turns all the bad news that was coming his way around and I really enjoy those types of things because when reading a book, watching TV, or seeing a movie with such a moment is when I put myself in that position. When I watch //Scrubs// for example, and I see the main character J.D. finally get together with his dream girl Elliot, I sort of dream off imagining that might happen to me someday in my medical career. It sounds silly, but it’s really how those things influence me. What I take from reading about Nick is that maybe, just maybe, when things are rough in my life, I may be able to “pull a rabbit out of my hat”, so to speak, just like Nick did. I have the ability to turn things around if they get bad. That’s a pretty good attitude to take out from this novel, which is really why I’m enjoying it so far.

Brandon Mogrovejo - 11/20/10

New Visions Health – English - **Reflection #6** – Thank You For Smoking

It's funny how BR is getting mad over Nick’s generous treatment from the Captain. My best guess is that next, BR is going to start to be a kiss up to Nick. That’s usually how it works in these kinds of situations. If only this wasn’t pure fiction…because really, those sort of events don’t happen in life. Let’s say your boss was a complete ass and just wanted to fire you one day on account of him getting tired of watching you do the work and would rather have the better looking Jeannette take over your position. In reality, a person would lose their position because their boss is tired of them, for whatever the reason, and no matter what contribution they make after that point it just won’t convince the boss otherwise. Even when Nick presented that idea of more cigarette consumption in the movies, his boss shot him down. Nevertheless, BR puts the idea in front of the Captain because he actually thought it wasn’t half bad! You see, it was just the fact that BR didn’t want Nick in the job anymore. The book goes further with Nick bouncing back on his career after the Oprah show, but like I mentioned before, it rarely works out that way. For example, when I first became a busboy, my employers loved me. I was all they could ask for: energetic, social, and hardworking. Then one day, one of the waitresses decided I was standing around too much. Of course that might have been the case, but everyone has their days. Anyway, she reported this to Blake, the owner of the restaurant. The next shift, it was very busy and I was running back and forth dropping off dirty dishes like there was no tomorrow. While picking up a salad bowl from a table, Blake dragged me in the back room of the place and yelled at me that I had to pick up the pace, and that the days of me standing around, (first of all, a rare thing), had to stop. I looked him in the eye, plate in hand, and realized that no matter how well I did tonight, this guy was going to ride me until God knows when. No miraculous career-bouncing moment came for me afterwards, and so I quit within the month. It just goes to show you that the miracle Nick experienced can make for a good read, but nothing further than that.

Brandon Mogrovejo - 11/25/10 New Visions Health – English - **Reflection #7** – Thank You For Smoking

I can’t believe the turn of events in the plot! Nick being kidnapped, strapped with nicotine patches, and then declared a hero of tobacco after barely surviving the ordeal, is just so exciting to read. Like I mentioned in a previous reflection, I like Nick’s character. I put myself in his shoes every time I read which is something I don’t usually do. Basically, reading the event unfolding is like me actually being there, so it can be quite a rush. The whole situation was pretty brutal but the satisfying conclusion of it all was the doctor telling Nick that __cigarettes saved his life__, because no non-smoker could have handled such lethal doses of nicotine in their system. That statement basically proves everything Nick try’s to claim in his rants; that, “hey, here is what good can come of cigarettes.” The publicity is a plus, but I can’t help but shake the feeling that this story sort of goes like that of a Greek tragedy, ending with the fall of a hero (not that Nick Naylor makes out a “hero-like” personage). I think things might turn for the worse, which of course would make for an interesting read, but I always look for the unrealistic happy-ending. To be honest, those every now-and-then happy endings in movies and literature are important for individuals. They inspire a sort of hope that no matter how bad things are going, it will end up alright. Realistically, a happy conclusion to situations is rare, but the anticipation for one is what I’m sure get’s people like nurses and doctors through the day. I mean, to a lesser extent, it’s what gets me through my own days, and what pushes me for towards my own goals and my future.

Brandon Mogrovejo - 11/29/10 New Visions Health – English - **Reflection #8** – Thank You for Smoking

Incongruity was at its finest when Nick Naylor spoke to the “puffers,” the pro-smoking activists. As the people in the crowd lit up, Nick couldn’t help but start coughing! He barely made it through! That was a pretty funny part to me. My mom cannot stand the smoke when my dad is outside with his cigarettes. It’s of no bother to him, a long-time smoker, but my mom’s lungs still can’t seem to handle it, even after the almost twenty years of marriage between them. Now that Nick feels the same way, if not worse, I would expect him to reconsider what he does for a living. In all honesty, I’d resign immediately (put in his position). Yet, he is ambitious through and through, chatting it up with a famous Hollywood director soon after the puffer’s conference. Now the plot thickens into something of putting more cigarettes into movies, to inspire more individuals into taking up the habit. Who knows what Mr. Naylor will do next, but it seems he will continue to be relentless in his never-ending pursuit of trying to convince the public there is nothing wrong with tobacco. Looking towards that future, one can see how the job of a tobacco spokesperson is challenging and at this point, I realize why Nick uses the whole “challenge” concept when people ask why him why he does what he does. In fact, any person set to defend something of hazard to individuals’ health and well being, like the other members of the MOD Squad, must have a very tough time. I guess one can only hope that Nick’s spokesperson salary is not as fictional as the story it’s in.

Brandon Mogrovejo - 12/05/10 New Visions Education – English - **Reflection #9** – Thank You for Smoking

For Mr. Naylor to make cheese look bad in the face of cigarettes…is crazy. It’s so crazy, that I actually think it could have happened. Really, anything can be made to look bad if you think of it. Too much juice for example, when consumed in excess over time, can lead to a stronger possibility of getting diabetes (from the sugar intake). The same logic applies the other way around. Alcohol is said to be good for you when consumed in moderation, such as a glass of wine for dinner. Nick is smart to take advantage of that concept in his debate with the Senator. I read an article on CNN.com recently stating that some parents in this country are deciding not to give vaccinations to their children at birth. For whatever reason, there is that tiny minority that refuses to believe any good will come of immunization. They fail to realize what I mentioned before! A bit of a disease, weakened, actually does more good for the body in the long run than not receiving it at all. Of course, too much can cause harm to a person but just that little bit has the potential to save your life in the future. That’s why I found it silly a parent will weigh out the pros with the cons and still come to such a conclusion as not to allow their child to receive the shots. Back to the novel, I actually believe how Nick can convince the American people of the harm that can come from cheese because it’s actually true when you think about it. Too much cheese = too much cholesterol = health problems.

Brandon Mogrovejo -12/25/10 New Visions Education – English - ** Reflection #10 ** – The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

Reading this book was a great experience. It was really interesting to be in the mind of an autistic kid, and see what makes them act the way they do. It is also cool that he is 15 years old in the story, which is fairly close to my age of 16, so I could kind of relate better. I was impressed by Christopher’s math capabilities, and also at the way he looked at certain things, such as the Universe and how we came about. He makes a good point saying that people do not like to believe in the very, very rare chance of life existing on this planet because it does not seem so impossible since people are here to even speculate the fact. What I did not like about his character was that he could not really envision things the way you and I do. For example, when he groans and screams, he tunes out other people, or when he is upset, he does not answer any questions given to him - in one particular part of the novel, when his mom makes a wailing noise, Christopher asks her, “What is wrong?” Based on the way his mind works, I believe he always expects an answer when he asks a question; so why is it that when people ask him to tell them what’s bothering him, he does not respond? His non-empathetic nature did make me a little annoyed, but also fascinated. Like I said before, it was really interesting seeing how an autistic child feels, behaves, and views the world. One last thing I would like to throw out there is Christopher’s dream of being the only person in the world. It doesn’t matter that almost everyone died of a virus, only that he was alone to do his things. We learned in our Growth and Development project that people need love and affection from others to truly live; yet, Christopher lacks this trait and can still get along fine. That is very astounding to say the least.

Brandon Mogrovejo - 02/07/11 New Visions Health – English - **Reflection #11** – The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat

Even before the novel, “The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat,” was even a requirement for our class to read, I was told by a few close friends and family to check it out because of its direct connection to the field of neurology. I was not sure what to expect when opening the book up, but I must say that after just reading part one, I am completely taken away. Each story is so fascinating in its origins that it almost seems made up. The fact that each story //is// real makes it all the more intriguing. What I like most so far about the layout of the book is how descriptive and mature Oliver Sack’s stories are. The book truly feeds the intellect in my opinion. My favorite story from Part One had to be __The Lost Mariner__, because the patient named Jimmie G. related to the character of “Ten-second-Tom” from that movie with Adam Sandler (50 First Dates). I never took the time to think that people with neurological disorders could actually have such a relapse of memory and so I was very interested. It is also interesting that memory is really what makes a person who they are, and that without memory, one can say that you are then nothing but the mere shell of a man. This is an extremley depressing and scary thought, but you can see the truth out of it. I cannot imagine living a life like that...it's an empty one of course; however, even more terrifying, is that if you had such a disorder as Jimmie, you probably wouldn't realize this emptiness.

Brandon Mogrovejo - 02/13/11 New Visions Health – English - **Reflection #12** – The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat

Part Two of //The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat// was just as impressive as Part One. What I enjoyed about this part of the book was its theme of excess. A neurological disorder involving too much of a role in perception or movement hardly seems like a disorder at all to me when the concept is first brought up. The saying, “Too much of a good thing is a bad thing,” doesn’t necessarily hold true in light of these stories and that may be the most interesting aspect of this section. In many of the cases, a patient’s “normal” state of well-being was only achieved when their disorder remained intact. Put on medication, the individual loses a part of themselves and being “technically” well is reversed in their case. This is so fascinating because it’s not what you would expect. A perfect example would be that of the patient Ray in “Witty Ticcy Ray,” where he is a Tourette’s patient. His life, and everything he enjoys doing is based off his disorder; the quick impulses that come with Tourette’s syndrome are what give him excitement while drumming, or playing ping pong. He is good at these two activities because his reflexes are “heightened.” However, when put on medication to erase his tics, he loses perception on what he can do. While on the medicine intended on curing him, in a sense, he fall’s more ill because what is life really unless you can enjoy it?

Brandon Mogrovejo - 02/26/11 New Visions Health – English - **Reflection #13** – The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat

Part Three of //The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat// had two very good stories; one of them was “A Passage to India,” and the other was my required reading chapter, “Murder” (which I did not mind reading again because it was completely fascinating). Not to say that the other stories in Part Three weren’t good, but they just didn’t catch my attention as much as the two just mentioned. “A Passage to India” struck my sympathetic side. I felt bad that this girl was 19 and on her way to dying, with no way of stopping the growing tumor in her head. Although she was going peacefully, seeing flashes of her long-lost childhood in India, one still feels despair. I imagine myself being her neurologist, and seeing her condition day in and day out…it fills me with gloom. The story “Murder” didn’t appeal to my more sensitive side, but it intrigued me nonetheless. Having your memory completely wiped of performing a mischievous deed (such as in the story, where Donald had killed his girlfriend) is just incredible. All attempts to recover the information, including inducing truth serums, revealed that Donald truly did not have any recollection of killing his girlfriend. After sending him to a home and realizing how peaceful he was after sometime, they let him go. Then, the bike accident happened; his head smacked the ground and he was rushed to a hospital. Only then, after years since the trial, did the memory of his horrific deed play fully back. That is just such an insane story. A person is made of memories…they are what make you unique. No one can have the memories you have, not exactly at least. To not have that one distinct memory…it just astounds me. I was very happy that chapter was assigned to me, and hopefully this coming Monday, I can explain to the class how remarkable of a story this is.

Brandon Mogrovejo - 02/26/11 New Visions Health – English - **Reflection #14** – The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat

Part Four of the novel did not end with such a bang as I expected, with some philosophical piece as the last line of print, but overall, I still commend the book on its depth, and passion. In Part Four, Dr. Sacks deals with both autistic and retarded individuals. He comes to show the reader that these people are many times defined as “intellectually incapable” human beings; yet, they still have a sense of self. He coins the term, “concrete self,” and demonstrates that people fail to see what they can produce out of their concrete reality. The twins were very fascinating, for out of their inability to comprehend the abstract world as you and I do, they had a unique ability with numbers. Though they did not understand mathematical concepts, they could somehow spontaneously dish out very high prime numbers. In fact, it was how the twins had fun with each other. They could also give the day of the week on any day in the past. This involves a very complex equation, and to do this in their heads with no understanding of mathematic equations is just…jaw dropping. Through Part Four, there is a demonstration, as mentioned before, of these sort of unexplainable abilities in the retarded and autistic. I feel these abilities are sort of a way of comprehension; although they have lost the ability many people on this Earth share, to understand the world around us, they have acquired an almost heightened sense of things that we seldom consider, like the denomination of prime numbers into only one and themselves. Overall, the book was a great read, especially for one such as myself who has a deep love of neurology, and everything that embodies the science behind our minds.

Brandon Mogrovejo - 03/17/11 New Visions Health – English - **Reflection #15** – The Hot Zone

// The Hot Zone // is definitely one of the more interesting books this year. I’m not going to lie, all the books Mr. Brunelli assigns are good, but this one is arguably the best. The fact that the novel is all compiled information that is non-fiction and real is just the scariest part! I literally was a germaphobic for a day or two after reading the first half of the book, and that is not like me at all. The Ebola and Marburg viruses are very fascinating in their own natural way. They are supposedly one of the oldest organisms on Earth, so its’ plausible to say that they are the ancestral remnants of every living thing we know. It really is mind-blowing to say the least. Another great aspect of the non-fiction base of the book is that the entire story had to be dwelled into and researched by the author, Richard Peterson. He must have spent a great deal of time getting all this information, and then organizing it into a readable fashion that is both frightening and intriguing. I can honestly say that the one other book I’ve read that has tried this approach is //Hospital//, and although the goal of the book wasn’t to be frightening, it made me dread every single moment reading it. I cannot begin to describe the anxiety I felt at trying to remember the names of the 30+ characters in that novel. //The Hot Zone// on the other hand does a kickass job and I cannot wait to finish it!

Brandon Mogrovejo - 03/20/11 New Visions Health – English - **Reflection #16** – The Hot Zone

The ending of //The Hot Zone//, though not as intense, still captivated me in a way. I mean, the author knew the risk of visiting the supposed “home” of Ebola, but did not seem to care. The gratitude’s given out at the end of the book go to many people, including his wife. I wonder if he was married when he did this, because the way he expressed his feelings about visiting the cave was along the lines of a “nothing to lose” attitude. Still, he did go protected, but I imagine the real meaning of the trip was to experience firsthand the creep of an unseen predator lurking about. I think this guy probably loves the thrill. Like I said though, what might have been one of the scariest moments in his life was not one of the scariest moments to read. The rest of the book, mainly the story of the outbreak at the Reston Monkey House, is simply amazing. The end of the book faltered in comparison. However, a small passage did fascinate me. It is when Mr. Peterson describes the planet as an organism, and the human race as a sort of disease or cancer. The planets natural “immune response” to that of the growing number of intelligent primates on its surfaces would be the outbreak of a virus. Of course, AIDS is the first step, and the author announces the possibility of a new outbreak of something far more severe. I completely agree with his statement. We are growing in a vast number, already outreaching our resources, and to sustain our immense population, we may drag down everything else, causing extinctions of life around the globe. As a race, we already know where we are headed. The path is an approach to immanent destruction. Yet, we continue on with our lives, tackling only the problems that come up right in front of us. It really is silly being the smartest beings in this world, having the ability to take educated guesses about the future and where we will go in life, and yet, we chose to tackle any probable events approaching distantly, i.e. global warming. We just sit and hope that life goes on, as it always has. What we fail to realize is that although life finds a way to continue, it does not mean we will be along for the ride.

Brandon Mogrovejo - 05/01/11 New Visions Health – English - **Reflection #17** – Mountains Beyond Mountains

I had no idea what to expect when opening up Tracy Kidder’s //Mountains Beyond Mountains: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, A Man Would Cure the World.// The general vibe it gave off was that it was some sort of biography, and this proved sort of true. Although, a biography doesn’t capture the depth of a person’s character the way this novel does for Paul Farmer. I am very impressed with Kidder and the way he writes in Part 1. The flow of his writing is just so great. I can read on and on through the many things Dr. Farmer has done, from growing up to his pursuit of anthropology and medicine, to Haiti and all his work there so far, and I am not confused at all. Every bit of information is given out very steady, as not to indulge you so far that you get sick from it (sort of like what the summer reading book //Hospital// did to me!). What I like best out of Part 1 was how Dr. Farmer went out of the way for Joe. Joe made me laugh when he told the doctor that all he wanted in the line of treatment for his HIV, was a home where he could basically chill, watch TV, and enjoy a six pack of beer. The response from Farmer was basically along the lines of, “I’ll try my best!” I really took out of Part 1 that Paul Farmer is something of a unique person and it made me want to dwell into Part 2 very eagerly to see what happens next.

Brandon Mogrovejo - 05/03/11 New Visions Health – English - **Reflection #18** – Mountains Beyond Mountains

Part II of the novel dwells into Paul Farmer’s youth, as well as the start of his involvement in Haiti. While reading this part, I was not failed in being impressed by this unique individual. For one thing, the whole “nurture vs. nature” debate came into play for me. I’ve read a few other books that say the debate is meaningless; that the genetics of an individual, no matter how great they may be, are only useful in the context of the environment around them. For example, you may have a child born to be a genius, but if he is born to a poverty stricken family somewhere in Africa, this child may not go to school, be put to work on low wages, and may even die young. Given Dr. Farmer’s own childhood, he faired quite well to this example of an African child. Still, his family was quite dysfunctional, and not always on the right end when it comes to their debt and expenses. Nonetheless, the situation was enough for a boy as smart as Farmer, and in his case, “nature” was stronger than “nurture.” He ended up with a great education (eventually making it to Harvard Medical School), and began his work in Haiti through it all. It really is quite an amazing feat for anyone, to say the least. I was touched by his love story with Ophelia, despite that they only came out as friends. What even got to me more so however, was the conditions in Haiti. The Haitians went through a grueling history, and still did as Dr. Farmer was there, as displayed by the account of Chouchou, a young man that Paul Farmer could not save. This man was so badly beaten by the soldiers in Haiti for making a small remark on the conditions of the road, that he was left almost unrecognizable as a human being. It really made me angry and it made me step out of the bubble that is life here in the states, to realize that there are so many horrible things going on throughout the world. In short, the passage inspired me further in my commitment towards medicine.

Brandon Mogrovejo - 05/08/11 New Visions Health – English - **Reflection #19** – Mountains Beyond Mountains

I understood the idea behind Part III of Kidder’s novel: Paul Farmer not only had a local impact in an area of Haiti, but also had an impact globally. He really displays how just one person’s effort (although his friend Jim Kim has a big role in it) can have an impact throughout the world. In Part III, Dr. Farmer stretches his goodwill towards other places, notably Peru. He is trying to fight back the tuberculosis epidemic there. To be honest, I had no idea tuberculosis was still surviving and a much lethal threat in poorer countries. That fact alone shows the ignorance of an individual who has been so encased in a wealthy nation such as the United States that he fails to realize how the world around him isn’t even close to perfect. The only threat of tuberculosis I ever knew of before this novel was through the history textbooks, back to when medicine was in its earliest stages, and there was no cure or safe treatment for the disorder. I thought that in today’s world, our modern medicine techniques would push through that barrier, and basically eradicate the disease altogether. Nevertheless, I was very wrong. I’m glad to have read this book and to have been opened up to things I had no idea about before. Just the same, Paul Farmer is beginning to serve as a bit of inspiration to me, which is always good because I may need someone to reflect off of on my long journey to becoming a doctor myself.

Brandon Mogrovejo - 05/16/11 New Visions Health – English - **Reflection #20** – Mountains Beyond Mountains

Part IV of //Mountains Beyond Mountains// made me wonder how the hell Paul Farmer survived the stress of what he does. The part of the book was appropriately (and almost sarcastically) named, “A Light Month for Travel.” This may have been true for Dr. Farmer, because he had the time to take along the author Tracy Kidder and inform him on what he was doing on his various plane trips. Nevertheless, a “light” month for Paul Farmer seemed very tough indeed for any individual. It really is inspiring, because I have such a hard work ethic as well, but I have my limits. I may be able to handle a heavier work load as I get older, but right now, if I was put in Dr. Farmer’s position, I think I would just collapse from anxiety, lack of sleep, and other related stressors. I applaud the doctor for his commitment to helping others, which seems to be the only thing keeping him going when his body begins to grow tired. The part when Kidder and Farmer visited Cuba interested me as well because it gave me a different perspective on the country. It showed me that living in a country that really is the sworn enemy of Cuba, (in a sense), has put me in a bias state of mind towards the country. Dr. Farmer said that despite the ill effects we’re taught of in America on communism, the fact of the matter remains that Cuba was doing fairly well in healthcare. This also proves true throughout the world, where medicine is more a “socialist” like system, run by the government for everyone. Without reading this book, I would continue to believe that Cuba is terrible in just about all its aspects (which I still believe it is in many, after helping my brother write a research paper on human rights violations there).

Brandon Mogrovejo - 05/24/11 New Visions Health – English - **Reflection #21 ** – Mountains Beyond Mountains Part V finally brought the story up to the present, with Dr. Paul Farmer’s organization now well known for what it has done. Yet there is still a sort of struggle for money. Luckily donations are keeping Dr. Famer’s movement alive, but it’s still a constant struggle. I enjoyed the finishing up of the book with Haiti, and how the author, Tracy Kidder, felt towards Dr. Farmer. I would be as awestricken in the presence of Paul Farmer as well, noting all that he has done. The novel did finish on a good note, and ending that I thought fit the context of the whole story perfectly. There wasn’t a sort of attempt at a conclusion, like in //The Hot Zone //, but more of an end that left you thinking about your own life. I did reflect off this last part quite a bit (I must admit, I took my time between chapters thinking about what I had just read). All in all, the book finished up inspiring me quite a bit. Although, one must note that you won’t see me packing my bags for Haiti to follow in Dr. Farmer’s footsteps. The good doctor even said so himself in Part V that no one should imitate his exact persona, and what he’s done. He felt that then his work would really have no point. I felt this meant that he wanted people to do what they can do to the best of their ability, in anything they do. Whether you’re a doctor, or a construction worker, you can do great things for others. That’s what I thought philosophically about the end of the book.  Brandon Mogrovejo - 05/24/11 New Visions Health – English - **Reflection #22 ** – Mountains Beyond Mountains   All in all, Tracy Kidder’s novel, //Mountains Beyond Mountains, //really opened up my view of the world. The book is a perfect read for all those entering the medical profession. For me, it served as an inspiration because of the real-life example of Dr. Farmer. He represented a doctor with the highest degree of passion in helping those in need. All that he has done in his life so far seemed so unreal for any individual to accomplish, yet there he was acting it out. Every doctor should have that motivation to assist others, and although they all take the oath to do so, I feel that seldom actually demonstrate this true degree of compassion. What Dr. Farmer initially started out with, despite his genius, was a level of ambition. This ambition brought him to help others and achieve what he did worldwide. Right now, I feel I have a high degree of ambition towards the medical profession and every moral that embodies it. My expectation is that I can end up achieving all my goals in the upcoming future, based off what Dr. Farmer did with his ambition. In my mind, he’ll serve as a role model when I’m going through tough times and I’ll think back on what he’s done to push me further. Overall, I am extremely grateful in getting the chance to read such a book as this one.