Strength in What Remains by Tracy Kidder

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Installment #3 in the Sad Book Series: Strength in What Remains tells the story of a Burundi man (Burundian?) who flees his country after brutal ethnic violence erupts and arrives in New York City with $200, no English, but plenty of smarts, persistence, half of a medical degree, and the wonderful first name of DeoGratias (god be thanked) or Deo for short. So it’s not a completely sad story, especially because the author wisely chooses to describe Deo’s struggle to make a life in the US before plunging back into the description of the civil war, which is as gruesome as they come.

The heartwarming part of the story is the long list of people who help him along the way, from the baggage handler at JFK who spots him on arrival and takes him “home” to his squatter’s quarters, to the ex-nun who finagles introductions for the reluctant Deo to potential helpers, to the couple who shepherds him through university applications and immigration lawyers, as well as Deo’s amazing determination to survive and ultimately return to Burundi to build a hospital in his home town.

OK, so maybe this book is not so sad after all — minus the horrific genocide stories.

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Filed under True story

Tags: Africa, medicine