When Breath Becomes Air
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- Create Date：2021-09-20 05:51:01
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Paul Kalanithi
- ISBN：1529110947
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Summary
THE SUNDAY TIMES NUMBER ONE BESTSELLER
‘A vital book about dying。 Awe-inspiring and exquisite。 Obligatory reading for the living’ Nigella Lawson
At the age of thirty-six， on the verge of completing a decade’s training as a neurosurgeon， Paul Kalanithi was diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer。 One day he was a doctor treating the dying， the next he was a patient struggling to live。
When Breath Becomes Air chronicles Kalanithi’s transformation from a medical student asking what makes a virtuous and meaningful life into a neurosurgeon working in the core of human identity – the brain – and finally into a patient and a new father。
What makes life worth living in the face of death？ What do you do when when life is catastrophically interrupted？ What does it mean to have a child as your own life fades away？
Paul Kalanithi died while working on this profoundly moving book， yet his words live on as a guide to us all。 When Breath Becomes Air is a life-affirming reflection on facing our mortality and on the relationship between doctor and patient， from a gifted writer who became both。
SHORTLISTED FOR THE WELLCOME BOOK PRIZE 2017
‘A vital book about dying。 Awe-inspiring and exquisite。 Obligatory reading for the living’ Nigella Lawson
At the age of thirty-six， on the verge of completing a decade’s training as a neurosurgeon， Paul Kalanithi was diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer。 One day he was a doctor treating the dying， the next he was a patient struggling to live。
When Breath Becomes Air chronicles Kalanithi’s transformation from a medical student asking what makes a virtuous and meaningful life into a neurosurgeon working in the core of human identity – the brain – and finally into a patient and a new father。
What makes life worth living in the face of death？ What do you do when when life is catastrophically interrupted？ What does it mean to have a child as your own life fades away？
Paul Kalanithi died while working on this profoundly moving book， yet his words live on as a guide to us all。 When Breath Becomes Air is a life-affirming reflection on facing our mortality and on the relationship between doctor and patient， from a gifted writer who became both。
SHORTLISTED FOR THE WELLCOME BOOK PRIZE 2017
Reviews
Francesca Fernandes
，
beautiful。 the prose is magnificent - basically poetic - and the themes are extremely hard-hitting; Kalanithi's story is so intriguing， and heart-breaking， that I never wanted to put this book down。 new favorite。 beautiful。 the prose is magnificent - basically poetic - and the themes are extremely hard-hitting; Kalanithi's story is so intriguing， and heart-breaking， that I never wanted to put this book down。 new favorite。 。。。more
Lindsay Groff
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Quick read， interesting take on what life is worth living。 As a neurosurgeon he had to council patients daily on whether or not to operate
Christelle
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A book I couldn’t put down， but one that I probably should have read more slowly as parts of it address deeper life and death questions - those that one should reflect on。What stroke me the most is how to make the ‘right’ adjustments to a life threatening illness。 Where lies hope vs reality vs denial？“The monolithic uncertainty of my future was deadening; everywhere I turned， the shadow of death obscured the meaning of any action。 I remember the moment when my overwhelming unease yielded， when t A book I couldn’t put down， but one that I probably should have read more slowly as parts of it address deeper life and death questions - those that one should reflect on。What stroke me the most is how to make the ‘right’ adjustments to a life threatening illness。 Where lies hope vs reality vs denial？“The monolithic uncertainty of my future was deadening; everywhere I turned， the shadow of death obscured the meaning of any action。 I remember the moment when my overwhelming unease yielded， when that seemingly impassable sea of uncertainty parted。”“Because I would have to learn to live in a different way， seeing death as an imposing itinerant visitor but knowing that even if I’m dying until I actually die， I am still living。”“The tricky part of illness is that， as you go through it， your values are constantly changing。 You try to figure out what matters to you， then you keep figuring it out。 （…） Death may be a one-time event， but living with a terminal illness is a process。”“Grand illnesses are supposed to be life clarifying。 Instead， I knew I was going to die - but I’d known that before。 My state of knowledge was the same， but my ability into make lunch plans had been shot to hell。 The way forward would send obvious， if only I knew how many months or years I had left。” 。。。more
Shannon
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Wrecked。 Gorgeously written words。
Megan
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I'm not an English speaker so I don't understand all the vocabulary。 However， I definitely cried。 I spent nearly 40 minutes finishing the epilogue because I need to wipe away my tears constantly。 I guess this is the power of this book。 Heartbreaking yet beautiful。 I'm not an English speaker so I don't understand all the vocabulary。 However， I definitely cried。 I spent nearly 40 minutes finishing the epilogue because I need to wipe away my tears constantly。 I guess this is the power of this book。 Heartbreaking yet beautiful。 。。。more
Lory Widmer Hess
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Kalanithi‘s story makes it clear both why medicine becomes dehumanized （it’s hard to remain open in the face of suffering） and how powerful it can be when doctors retain a sense of the sacred mystery of their calling and the reality of the human core that is not only body or mechanism。 This book is a record of a brave man’s life and an act of courage itself， the reading of which can help us face our lives more bravely too。 Science and spirit at their best。
Maya Walker
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don’t read this before walking into work because you will be sobbing in the parking lot
Michael Durbin
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I can hardly imagine a more powerful and important memoir。 It should be required reading for medical students， physicians， and anyone who expects one day to die。 Like many great works it goes far beyond its gripping core story and speaks to far greater truths about life and death。 And the sheer language itself， so well-crafted， stopped me again and again， such as when he explained how he went about telling one patient she had a brain tumor: "A terrine of tragedy is best allotted by the spoonful。 I can hardly imagine a more powerful and important memoir。 It should be required reading for medical students， physicians， and anyone who expects one day to die。 Like many great works it goes far beyond its gripping core story and speaks to far greater truths about life and death。 And the sheer language itself， so well-crafted， stopped me again and again， such as when he explained how he went about telling one patient she had a brain tumor: "A terrine of tragedy is best allotted by the spoonful。" What a tragedy to have lost this man。 What a gift he left all of us with this book。 。。。more
Amaya
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Acceptance - the hardest part of life。 Accepting that death is inevitable。 Suffering is inevitable。 Loss is inevitable。 Paul Kalanithi shows such valor， bravery and elegance in a way as he deals with a terminal illness。 What's more incredible is his wife's strength and how their relationship changed as he was diagnosed。 I find it amazing that they decided to have a child while being in such an unknown and challenging time of their lives。 It takes so much will power， mental strength and fortitude Acceptance - the hardest part of life。 Accepting that death is inevitable。 Suffering is inevitable。 Loss is inevitable。 Paul Kalanithi shows such valor， bravery and elegance in a way as he deals with a terminal illness。 What's more incredible is his wife's strength and how their relationship changed as he was diagnosed。 I find it amazing that they decided to have a child while being in such an unknown and challenging time of their lives。 It takes so much will power， mental strength and fortitude to be able to do that。 Finding meaning in adversity， finding meaning in striving。I often find myself contemplating what is the purpose of all this were all going to die anyway。 but this is an absolutely lazy， immature thought。 Yes， death is inevitable but its about the journey through this unknown future that is exciting。 Everyday should be spent striving。 Spent happy and full of gratitude， even in the hardest of times。 That's life， maybe？ 。。。more
k
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Right after I finished this book， I went straight to Youtube and watched Paul’s wife Lucy’s TedTalk， which made me bawl even more。 Paul translated how profoundly humane， yet unselfish he was in his memoir。 Paul spent the remaining months of his life with a purpose - striving to be a great neurologist， son， husband， father， and a writer despite his deteriorating health。 Paul gave us straight-out facts about how facing the impending death truly feels like。 How death， as inevitable and expected as Right after I finished this book， I went straight to Youtube and watched Paul’s wife Lucy’s TedTalk， which made me bawl even more。 Paul translated how profoundly humane， yet unselfish he was in his memoir。 Paul spent the remaining months of his life with a purpose - striving to be a great neurologist， son， husband， father， and a writer despite his deteriorating health。 Paul gave us straight-out facts about how facing the impending death truly feels like。 How death， as inevitable and expected as it is， could still turn your world upside down in a blink of an eye。 How death and joy， ironically， go hand-in-hand。 I am not the type of gal to dive into a book fully knowing it will be about mortality for I cannot handle the heartbreak yet I still found myself picking this book up。 Perhaps， it is because I was hoping to be enlightened about it and somehow decrease my fear towards such a subject， or maybe， I was simply compelled by Paul’s story and how he navigate his transition。 However， one thing that bothers me was despite how much great of a writer Lucy is， she was not credited as the co-author。 Nonetheless， I do hope Lucy would think of venturing into writing since she definitely has a knack for it。 Regardless， still， an excellent read， and would highly recommend it。 。。。more
Jane Randell
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Beautiful and heart breaking - an ode to what makes life worth living and how to live it well when it is cut fat too short。
Ha
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It’s been the very first time I read something neither romantic nor sentimental， but still very poignant and heartbreaking。 It’s about life， death， and choice。 There are a lot of choices in your life。 You can choose a place to live， a job to do， or a person to be with 。。。 However， sometimes， there is a inevitable calamity comes to your life， which will hurt not only you but the whole family。 That evil named Cancers！At the age of 36 and in the top of the mountain of his career， Paul was diagnosed It’s been the very first time I read something neither romantic nor sentimental， but still very poignant and heartbreaking。 It’s about life， death， and choice。 There are a lot of choices in your life。 You can choose a place to live， a job to do， or a person to be with 。。。 However， sometimes， there is a inevitable calamity comes to your life， which will hurt not only you but the whole family。 That evil named Cancers！At the age of 36 and in the top of the mountain of his career， Paul was diagnosed with a terminal lung cancer which had a very poor prognosis。 What should he do to make life worth living in the face of death？ Should he spend his last days with his family and become a father or continue to work as a neurosurgeon， or write a book？ With less than two years left， Paul did it all。 What a brave and persevererant man！ Whenever I am upset and struggling in life， I read this book to realize how much my life worth and how lucky I am for being healthy and blessed。 Thanks Paul for awakening us。 。。。more
Joan Westgate
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A serious read， and。。Mostly philosophical。。。The story is short， but everyone should read this short novel about a Doctor who was diagnosed with a deadly disease， before the age of 40。 After reading， I know I want to be happy and fulfilled， every single day。 Life is about enjoying every single thing。
Simon
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Beautiful and moving
Lauren
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A neurosurgeon’s take on life and death， as he battled lung cancer。 Interesting meditations on philosophy， humanity， and medicine。
Giselle Van Rensburg
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This book I started somewhere in April。。。 I eventually got really despondent with all the medical jargon fast forward September I picked it up again and told myself let's give it one more go。I wasn't sorry， Paul takes you on a journey on his version of life and his understanding of looking at death in the face。 A neurosurgeon who is diagnosed with a terminal illness， a doctor becomes a patient。 This little book gives you so much insight into Kalanithi's life， his ups and downs， his love for his This book I started somewhere in April。。。 I eventually got really despondent with all the medical jargon fast forward September I picked it up again and told myself let's give it one more go。I wasn't sorry， Paul takes you on a journey on his version of life and his understanding of looking at death in the face。 A neurosurgeon who is diagnosed with a terminal illness， a doctor becomes a patient。 This little book gives you so much insight into Kalanithi's life， his ups and downs， his love for his work family， friends and his battle towards a beautiful ending。A definite read on a readers book bucket list。 。。。more
Sylvia L
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Amazing book。 This will stay with me forever。
marwa :）
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i really really enjoyed reading this book， it was the most engaging non fiction book i’ve read in a while。 I really recommend this book if ur looking for something to inspire you and reshape your perspective on life and the relationships you have with other people。 it was also the saddest book i have ever read， so be ready to cry！
Quynh Nguyen
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Cuốn sách nổi cũng khá lâu rồi nhưng giờ mình mới đọc （hay đúng hơn là mình đủ dũng cảm để đọc）。Những câu chuyện về ung thư luôn chạm đến câu hỏi sâu nhất trong hệ giá trị mà mình theo đuổi。 Chỉ khi cái chết cận kề， người ta mới biết nhân diện mà họ muốn hướng tới và ý nghĩa của sự tồn tại là gì。 Dù điều này， cũng có thể tiệm cận đến nếu mình biết sống chậm lại và biết đủ。
Tasbi Fatima
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One of the best books I have ever read。 TAKES U ON A WHOLE EMOTIONAL ROLLER COASTER。
Ali
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کتاب شگفت آور و قشنگی است و به خوبی مسائل ذهنی یک پزشک در مقابله با مرگ رو توضیح میده。ولی متاسفانه ترجمه بسیار ضعیف و غیرروان هست و من مجدد اصل کتاب رو مطالعه کردم。
Meghna Sahoo
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life-changing！ would recommend to anyone and everyone， especially if you have interest in medicine
Ellen
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Lots of beautiful pieces here and there， definitely gives you a deeper perspective of medicine and the grueling yet gravitating/meaningful nature of neurosurgery。 Delves into what it means to be human/alive in the face of death - there’s this good quote from the book that went something along the lines of “before you operate on the brain， you must first understand the mind of the patient” and what makes life worth living for them （I wish I could pull up the quote but unfortunately I have been re Lots of beautiful pieces here and there， definitely gives you a deeper perspective of medicine and the grueling yet gravitating/meaningful nature of neurosurgery。 Delves into what it means to be human/alive in the face of death - there’s this good quote from the book that went something along the lines of “before you operate on the brain， you must first understand the mind of the patient” and what makes life worth living for them （I wish I could pull up the quote but unfortunately I have been reading way too much today and hence my apps have all timed out 🥲）。 To be honest， the epilogue written by his wife was my favorite part of the book; I definitely enjoyed it as a whole but if you’re not particularly into the medical side of things， a warning that some parts in the middle and near the end may get long as he chronicles parts of his job and encounters in detail 。。。more
Sander
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Wow。 This book is shocking and inspiring and moving in such a tragic， human way。 Dr。 Kalanithi demystifies mortality。 We are taught （shown） that whether we accept it or not， death is part of life。 Paul knew this well， as a doctor and certainly as he fought with terminal cancer。But in spite of his fleeting time， he tells a story of values and living。 He tells us that life is about being bold， striving， embracing the full spectrum of experience… all things I’ll be sitting with for a while。His wife Wow。 This book is shocking and inspiring and moving in such a tragic， human way。 Dr。 Kalanithi demystifies mortality。 We are taught （shown） that whether we accept it or not， death is part of life。 Paul knew this well， as a doctor and certainly as he fought with terminal cancer。But in spite of his fleeting time， he tells a story of values and living。 He tells us that life is about being bold， striving， embracing the full spectrum of experience… all things I’ll be sitting with for a while。His wife’s epilogue got me the most… after 200 pages of getting to know Paul， we are given an unfiltered look at his last moments through the eyes of his beloved。 She wraps the book up and gives a bit of hope and closure。 10/10 recommend to anyone who might die one day。 。。。more
Chase A。
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About as heavy as it gets， but wow this is something。
Sandeep
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Very beautifully written。 The book keeps you hooked at the emotional level from page 1 till the end。
Desirae Clark
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an incredibly touching read。 Paul Kalanithi had a way with words and an ability to connect with the reader。 Please， if you hadn't read this yet and have doubts to， just do yourself a favor and add it to your reading list an incredibly touching read。 Paul Kalanithi had a way with words and an ability to connect with the reader。 Please， if you hadn't read this yet and have doubts to， just do yourself a favor and add it to your reading list 。。。more
Isabeau
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In het merendeel van het boek miste ik een verhaal。 Voor mij was het persoonlijk iets te wetenschappelijk， beschrijvend。 Ook te moeilijk om in het Engels te begrijpen。 Pas in de laatste 25 pagina’s， de epiloog， kwam waar ik op zat te wachten。 Hierin wordt heel mooi beschreven waar Paul en zoveel andere patiënten en familieleden doorheen gaan bij het verliezen van iemand aan kanker。
Tonya
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Really beautiful and thought provoking。 A pretty easy read。 Definitely heart-rending and emotional。
Aditi Gupta
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Things i like: 1。 Relationship between a doctor and patient。 2。
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=When Breath Becomes Air
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=When Breath Becomes Air&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft