When breath becomes air

Thorndike Press large print popular and narrative nonfiction

by Paul Kalanithi

No cover — Paul Kalanithi: When breath becomes air (2016)

241 pages

English language

Published Nov. 11, 2016

ISBN:: 978-1-4104-8785-8
OCLC Number:: 930257497

View on OpenLibrary

(8 reviews)

At the age of 36, on the verge of a completing a decade's worth of training as a neurosurgeon, Paul Kalanithi's health began to falter. He started losing weight and was wracked by waves of excruciating back pain. A CT scan confirmed what Paul, deep down, had suspected: he had stage four lung cancer, widely disseminated. One day, he was a doctor making a living treating the dying, and the next, he was a patient struggling to live. Just like that, the future he and his wife had imagined, the culmination of decades of striving, evaporated. Breath Becomes Air approaches the questions raised by facing mortality from the dual perspective of the neurosurgeon who spent a decade meeting patients in the twilight between life and death, and the terminally ill patient who suddenly found himself living in that liminality. At the base of Paul's inquiry are essential questions such as: What makes life worth living in the face of death? What happens when the future, instead of being a ladder toward the goals of life, flattens out into a perpetual present? When faced with a terminal diagnosis, what does it mean to have a child, to nurture a new life as another one fades away? As Paul wrote, "Before my cancer was diagnosed, I knew that someday I would die, but I didn't know when. After the diagnosis, I knew that someday I would die, but I didn't know when. But now I knew it acutely. The problem wasn't really a scientific one. The fact of death is unsettling. Yet there is no other way to live." Paul Kalanithi passed away in March 2015, while working on this book.

29 editions

KnitAFett reviewed When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi

Didn't find this to live up to the hype or even the blurb...

3 stars

I feel icky giving low ratings to memoirs and biographies, but I just can't bring myself to give more than 3 stars for this one.

It was interesting to be able to see life through the lens of a neurosurgeon. But I felt like there were few moments where I was actually learning about what Paul went through, what he learned, what he truly felt. It lacked the emotion that I expected with someone coming to terms with knowing that their life will be short-lived and trying to move along with that. I learned far more in the afterword from his wife than I did in the entire book.

I feel icky giving low ratings to memoirs and biographies, but I just can't bring myself to give more than 3 stars for this one.

I also just have a particular dislike for people who decide to have kids when they know one parent will not be alive to see that child grow past being a toddler. It's not my life, and people should live how they want, but I just really don't like seeing it being done and glorified like it's some amazing thing when that child will be dealing with the trauma of never knowing a parent for their whole life.

Overall, this felt like an acquaintance just quickly trying to tell you what they've been going through, and they're not comfortable enough to really let you know how they're doing and what's really going on.

Isaac reviewed When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi

A Refreshing Breath of Air into Our Own Fragility

5 stars

A powerful book that intertwines literature, philosophy, medicine, science, and religion all into a ball of lived-experience that highlights the fragility of our existence—even for the young, smart, and successful. This book will lead you to think deeply about your life and will cause you to weep as Paul recounts his own experience with death. This memoir is a short and essential read for all mortals.

misaligar@bookwyrm.social reviewed When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi

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

5 stars

My first memoir and hopefully won’t be the last. Paul’s journey resonated strongly with me. His clear voice was accompanied by his sincere pursuit of meaning in this short wordly life. The book was poignant but lovely at the same time. Touched my heart throughout the entire read. Particularly the epilogue written by Paul’s wife Lucy. I would recommend this book for anyone who is searching meaning in their life.

ctaymor reviewed When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi

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

5 stars

I wanted to read this one for a while and finally got around to it. It is such a powerful musing on what gives life meaning, in face of death. Stunningly written, just beautiful. We'll worth reading.

Rick Klau reviewed When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi

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

5 stars

Among the most powerful books I've ever read. It is hard to believe how completely Dr. Kalanithi covers just about every topic that matters in a life well-lived: birth, death, grief, love, fatherhood, morality, Christianity, literature, childhood, marriage, faith, friendship... I'm sure I'm missing even more. I am moved at how he faced a certain death; I'm in awe of his ability to express the journey in such a clear, profound way; I grieve for a world that lost one of the greats far too soon.

This is a magnificent tour de force of a book. It's a book only he could have written, and I am eternally grateful that he did.