Tracy Kidder is an American author renowned for his deeply immersive approach to non-fiction storytelling. He excels at dissecting complex human endeavors, from the intricate development of cutting-edge technology to the collaborative effort behind architectural marvels. Kidder's signature method involves extensive fieldwork, where he observes his subjects closely, spending considerable time with them to capture the texture and nuance of their work and lives. This dedication allows him to craft compelling narratives that offer profound insights into the creative process and the dedication of those involved.
As a medical student, Dr Paul Farmer found his life's calling: to cure infectious diseases and to bring the lifesaving tools of modern medicine - so readily available in the developed world - to those who need them most. The author's account shows how, from achieving this modest dream, one person can make a difference in solving global problems.
Tracy Kidder's The Soul of a New Machine, the compelling account of the inventors of a new mini-supercomputer for the young Data General company, is the best chronicle of the computer age and the extraordinary people who have created it. A compelling account of individual sacrifice and ingenuity, it became an instant classic on publication and won a Pulitzer Prize. The Wall Street Journal described it as "fascinating" and "provocative", and The New York Times Book Review praised its "high level of narrative art". This Modern Library edition includes a new introduction by Tracy Kidder. Copyright © Libri GmbH. All rights reserved.
Brimming with the exuberance and innocence of childhood, Among School Children is the intense and affecting chronicle of a Holyoke, Massachusetts, fifth-grade teacher's passionate dedication to the children in her classroom.#Houghton Mifflin.
In this fascinating book, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Tracy Kidder takes us inside the everyday workings of Northampton, Massachusetts -- a place that seems to personify the typical American hometown. Kidder unveils the complex drama behind the seemingly ordinary lives of Northampton's residents. And out of these stories he creates a splendid, startling portrait of a town, in a narrative that gracefully travels among past and present, public and private, joy and sorrow.A host of real people are alive in these pages: a tycoon with a crippling ailment; a criminal whom the place has beguiled, a genial and merciful judge, a single mother struggling to start a new life at Smith College; and, at the center, a policeman who patrols the streets of his beloved hometown with a stern yet endearing brand of morality -- and who is about to discover the peril of spending a whole life in one small place. Their stories take us behind the town's facades and reveal how individuals shape the social conscience of a community. Home Town is an unflinching yet lovingly rendered account of how a traditional American town endures and evolves at the turn of the millenniums.
Amahoro nennen die Menschen in Burundi eine Zeit des Friedens, wenn Menschen sich noch wie Menschen verhalten. Nach Amahoro sehnt sich auch der junge Afrikaner Deogratias, als er in Ruanda auf den Flieger nach New York wartet. Er landet mit dem Wenigen, was er auf dem Leib trägt, schläft im Central Park, lernt in Buchläden Englisch aus Wörterbüchern und kämpft auf der Straße ums Überleben. Nachts quälen ihn Alpträume und Erinnerungen an unaussprechliche Dinge, die er vergessen will. Nach und nach enthüllt Tracy Kidder in Rückblenden das Grauen, dem Deo entkommen ist, erzählt von der (noch) friedlichen Kindheit in Burundi und von dem Ausbruch des unvorstellbaren Massakers der Tutsi und Hutu, dem die Welt fassungslos zusah. Unzählige Male sah Deo dem Tod ins Gesicht, und ebenso oft retteten ihn Akte der Menschlichkeit. So auch in New York. Der Obdachlose findet Freunde, studiert Medizin und wird Arzt, der Wunsch nach Verstehen jedoch bleibt. Er kehrt ins versehrte Burundi zurück und gründet ein Hilfswerk für Arme. Tracy Kidder erzählt mit großer literarischer Kraft von einem Schicksal, das niemanden unberührt lässt. Deogratias' Geschichte zeigt, wie auch aus tiefster Verzweiflung Mut und Hoffnung auf ein neues Leben erwachsen können.
