When Breath Becomes Air

by Paul Kalanithi

Hardcover, 228 pages

English language

Published July 29, 2016 by Random House.

ISBN:: 978-0-8129-8840-6
OCLC Number:: 974395454

(85 reviews)

At the age of thirty-six, on the verge of completing a decade’s worth of training as a neurosurgeon, Paul Kalanithi was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer. One day he was a doctor treating the dying, and the next he was a patient struggling to live. And just like that, the future he and his wife had imagined evaporated. When Breath Becomes Air chronicles Kalanithi’s transformation from a naïve medical student “possessed,” as he wrote, “by the question of what, given that all organisms die, makes a virtuous and meaningful life” into a neurosurgeon at Stanford working in the brain, the most critical place for human identity, and finally into a patient and new father confronting his own mortality.

What makes life worth living in the face of death? What do you do when the future, no longer a ladder toward your goals in life, flattens out into a perpetual …

What makes life worth living in the face of death? What do you do when the future, no longer a ladder toward your goals in life, flattens out into a perpetual present? What does it mean to have a child, to nurture a new life as another fades away? These are some of the questions Kalanithi wrestles with in this profoundly moving, exquisitely observed memoir.

Paul Kalanithi died in March 2015, while working on this book, yet his words live on as a guide and a gift to us all. “I began to realize that coming face to face with my own mortality, in a sense, had changed nothing and everything,” he wrote. “Seven words from Samuel Beckett began to repeat in my head: ‘I can’t go on. I’ll go on.’” When Breath Becomes Air is an unforgettable, life-affirming reflection on the challenge of facing death and on the relationship between doctor and patient, from a brilliant writer who became both.

--front flap

29 editions

Zelanator reviewed When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi

Review of 'When Breath Becomes Air' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

A thoughtful and deeply moving memoir that forces one to ponder and confront their own mortality. In some ways, Kalanithi's memoir reminded me of the memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant, as both men were furiously writing within a limited time frame imposed by terminal cancers. Both men were also reflecting back on their lives, assessing mistakes, acknowledging failures and successes, making amends, and perfectly cognizant that their work would likely be published posthumously.

Kalanithi had his life mapped out. He was preparing to exit an arduous and long residency in neurosurgery and all but had his dream job sealed up--becoming a neurosurgeon-neuroscientist at Stanford. But then when the unexpected occurred, a terminal lung-cancer diagnosis at thirty-six, he and his wife were forced not only to recalibrate their financial, marital, and career ambitions but had to fundamentally reconsider the meaning of life and, especially, of a life "well lived."

Honestly, I …

Allen reviewed When Breath Becomes Air Exp by Paul Kalanithi

Review of 'When Breath Becomes Air Exp' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

I felt like I read this entire book with a lump in my throat. Incredibly sad, yet inspiring at the same time. As a father of young children, his story hit especially close to home. It’s also amazing just how talented he was. In another life, he could have been a dedicated author, and with his stylistic prose, I would have read every one of his books.

Bodo reviewed When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi

Review of 'When Breath Becomes Air' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

What an incredible book. Emotionally not the easiest topic, but there are so many wise words in here. Gives you a lot to think about in your current live and how you value things. Highly recommended.

Sandi reviewed When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi

Review of 'When Breath Becomes Air' on 'Storygraph'

5 stars

I'm a complete sucker for the Memoir genre and this one did not disappoint. And the afterward by the author's wife left me a crying mess. I'm not usually big on audiobooks (I guess my mind usually just wanders too much when I try a book in this form), but I highly recommend the audio version of this one!

tomek reviewed Jeszcze jeden oddech by Paul Kalanithi

Review of 'Jeszcze jeden oddech' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

Lekarsko - bardzo dobrze, ciekawe wspomnienia, oddana praca lekarza. Historia powołania również.
Od strony pacjenta (druga część książki) - już dużo słabiej. Niby nadal jest sporo wiedzy lekarskiej, lecz ta część jakby słabsza.
Zasadniczo dobra książka, lecz spodziewałem się czegoś "więcej" od głównego tematu książki.

Jero reviewed When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi

Review of 'When Breath Becomes Air' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

A sobering read. Definitely gives you something to think about and to give thanks for. His words to his daughter really hit home in me being a new father. I recommended 100%.

Mark Anderson reviewed When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi

Review of 'When Breath Becomes Air' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

This man certainly puts most of the rest of us petty mortals to shame. If I could live and die with even just an approximation of his rectitude, diligence, and openness, then I would consider it a triumph.

pithypants reviewed When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi

Review of 'When Breath Becomes Air' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

Beautiful account of what it is to face your own mortality, way ahead of schedule, and from the ironic perspective of someone who was no stranger to dwelling in a place of life and death. I didn't have any ah-ha moments while reading this book, but I did gain an appreciation for the short and meaningful life Dr. Kalanithi lived.

Vedang Manerikar reviewed When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi

Review of 'When Breath Becomes Air' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

'When Breath becomes Air' is an incredible and - for lack of a better word - poetic book that is inspirational and deeply soul-nourishing. I've highlighted and re-read passages and sentences on nearly every page in this book. The writing is simple yet very powerful, I recommend this book to everyone.

astrodad reviewed When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi

Review of 'When Breath Becomes Air' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

A wonderfully written treatise on the nature of death and the wonder of life, written by a brilliant neurosurgeon and cancer victim. Highly recommended, especially for those in the medical field.

astroMD reviewed When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi

Review of 'When Breath Becomes Air' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

A wonderfully written treatise on the nature of death and the wonder of life, written by a brilliant neurosurgeon and cancer victim. Highly recommended, especially for those in the medical field.

chefraven reviewed When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi

Review of 'When Breath Becomes Air' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

Once in a while, there's a book that will make me pause when I finish reading it. I will close the book and simply hold it and look at the cover and try and absorb what I just experienced. This is one of those books. It takes hold of you.

It's NOT easy to read from an emotional stand point. You know that Paul died prior to publication. I was most moved and drawn in by the epilogue, written by his wife Lucy.