#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • PULITZER PRIZE FINALIST • This inspiring, exquisitely observed memoir finds hope and beauty in the face of insurmountable odds as an idealistic young neurosurgeon attempts to answer the question What makes a life worth living? NAMED ONE OF PASTE’S BEST MEMOIRS OF THE DECADE • NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY The New York Times Book Review • People • NPR • The Washington Post • Slate • Harper’s Bazaar • Time Out New York • Publishers Weekly • BookPage Finalist for the PEN Center USA Literary Award in Creative Nonfiction and the Books for a Better Life Award in Inspirational MemoirAt 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.
In the poignant and thought-provoking memoir, "When Breath Becomes Air," Paul Kalanithi, a brilliant young neurosurgeon, confronts his own mortality and the profound meaning of life in the face of a terminal illness.
As a gifted physician, Kalanithi had dedicated his life to saving others, but now he finds himself on the other side, struggling to come to terms with his own impending death. With honesty, humor, and profound insight, he navigates the challenges of his diagnosis, reflecting on the nature of existence, the limits of medicine, and the enduring power of human connection.
Through Kalanithi's poignant prose, readers are invited to witness his journey as he grapples with the complexities of mortality, the beauty and fragility of life, and the profound significance of the human experience. "When Breath Becomes Air" is a powerful reminder of the preciousness of time and the importance of living each moment with intention and purpose.
Kalanithi's personal narrative interweaves his experiences as a patient and a doctor, providing a unique perspective on the intersection of life and death. He explores the ethical dilemmas, the triumphs and setbacks, and the profound humanity that defines the practice of medicine. As he grapples with his own mortality, Kalanithi reflects on the nature of consciousness, the limits of science, and the enduring power of hope.
"When Breath Becomes Air" is a profound and moving meditation on life, death, and the human spirit. Through Kalanithi's poignant storytelling and philosophical insights, readers are invited to confront their own mortality and to find meaning and purpose in the face of adversity. It is a powerful reminder of the importance of living each moment to the fullest and cherishing the connections that bind us together.
