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 …
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 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.
Review of 'When Breath Becomes Air' on 'OpenLibrary'
4 stars
Small book, liked how the chapters were designed
A hard read coz,
1. Author reflection on self, time & again
2. Is philosophical sometimes
3. Literary references & impressive vocabulary
4. Description of medical conditions & procedures
5. May bring memories if you've cared for someone at hospital
6. Wrote this from death bed
7. A few recurring thoughts
Relatable in,
1. 1st(?) gen Indian-American
2. How a doctor's profession is a job
3. Simple & honest views
A very good read. Strong recommendation.
Left me with these questions,
How do you judge a book written by someone from his death bed?
How many untold stories could there be of people less fortunate? (Not as rich, no access to quality healthcare, not educated to better understand a disease, not a doctor (the quality of treatment gets better when one is either very rich or in the know-how of the business, …
Small book, liked how the chapters were designed
A hard read coz,
1. Author reflection on self, time & again
2. Is philosophical sometimes
3. Literary references & impressive vocabulary
4. Description of medical conditions & procedures
5. May bring memories if you've cared for someone at hospital
6. Wrote this from death bed
7. A few recurring thoughts
Relatable in,
1. 1st(?) gen Indian-American
2. How a doctor's profession is a job
3. Simple & honest views
A very good read. Strong recommendation.
Left me with these questions,
How do you judge a book written by someone from his death bed?
How many untold stories could there be of people less fortunate? (Not as rich, no access to quality healthcare, not educated to better understand a disease, not a doctor (the quality of treatment gets better when one is either very rich or in the know-how of the business, not in usa, not with a family, not married etc)
Review of 'When Breath Becomes Air' on 'Goodreads'
5 stars
Severe illness is not life-altering, it's life-shattering. Less of an epiphany and more like someone had just firebombed the path forward.
There is no hiding from death. This book certainly doesn't shy away from the message. I feel this will not really be a spoiler, as you'll learn in the preface, the author is no longer alive.
Speaking of the preface - there is a phrase that repeatedly came to my mind as I read this book - a prose poem. Do not be mistaken, there's very little actual poetry in this book (though there is some), but the prose has that quality, rhythm, cadence and urgency to continue with the next line.
I found the writing brilliant. At times full of gore and action of surgery, only to be replaced with serenity of a quiet dinner with friends. This might be a book about dying, but it is …
Severe illness is not life-altering, it's life-shattering. Less of an epiphany and more like someone had just firebombed the path forward.
There is no hiding from death. This book certainly doesn't shy away from the message. I feel this will not really be a spoiler, as you'll learn in the preface, the author is no longer alive.
Speaking of the preface - there is a phrase that repeatedly came to my mind as I read this book - a prose poem. Do not be mistaken, there's very little actual poetry in this book (though there is some), but the prose has that quality, rhythm, cadence and urgency to continue with the next line.
I found the writing brilliant. At times full of gore and action of surgery, only to be replaced with serenity of a quiet dinner with friends. This might be a book about dying, but it is full of life. It's not a book about cancer, being a doctor nor is a full-on patient story of fight for survival. But it is all of those and more.
For me personally - It's a beautiful philosophical book on how to live and die on your own terms. Finding out who/what is important to you, and finding the courage within you to get up each day and fight for it. Realizing that priorities change and that's OK.
I am quite sure I will read this again in the future.
Review of 'When Breath Becomes Air' on 'Goodreads'
5 stars
Beautifully written. Full of insight into making a meaningful life, even in the face of certain death. Also a story of love and support and perseverance in the face of adversity.
Review of 'When Breath Becomes Air' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
Even the title is sad. A terminally ill neurosurgeon’s perspective on his career, illness, and life.
The patient-doctor relationship is explored well from both sides. Paul has incredible empathy combined with a calculated perspective necessary for his profession. He discusses what makes us us, and what can cause changes that take away our language, stamina, personality—changing our entire identity. Sad stuff.
"Only later would I realize that our trip had added a new dimension to my understanding of the fact that brains give rise to our ability to form relationships and make life meaningful. Sometimes, they break."
Review of 'When Breath Becomes Air' on 'GoodReads'
3 stars
Well written, but as this is a special and rare story, the book however fails to deliver an important messacu about life and death. Maybe it is my expectation, but I had high hopes, this book would be more meaningful to me.
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 …
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 thought this was a great book to read near the conclusion of a tumultuous year where I dealt with a lot of professional and personal change in my life. It placed a lot of my problems in a better frame and reinforced that notion that life is often full of unexpected changes--some tragic, some wonderful--and we must learn to adapt and, to paraphrase Tolkien's Gandalf, chose what we are to do with the time we are given.
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.
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.
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.
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%.