When Breath Becomes Air
Ratings456
Average rating4.4
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 its writing an act of courage itself, the reading of which can help us face our lives more bravely too. Science and spirit are not opposites, but in their true nature belong together. It's the battle to bring them into harmony that is our true challenge today, and this book an eloquent example of that fight.
What a read. This is one of the truly few books that have made me think deeply about life
I'm writing this review with tears streaming down my face on the train (tip: don't read this in public). Paul's writing is so powerful that I felt like I was living his life alongside him. I've been struggling in my own life, and this book gave me hope—that one day, everything I've done will be worth it, no matter how others see it.
3 authors, 3 very different experiences.
The foreword is a mess and doesn't add much. The writing is overly flowery and feels like it's trying to be profound without much to say.
The main part of the book is interesting and occasionally poignant, but it's pretentious. It wasn't really my taste, but there's definitely something of value there.
The final part, by his wife, is the best-written. It's frank about the experience of watching her husband's final days and shows how she came to terms with their life together. It's a strong ending that gives more context to the rest and ultimately made me round this 3.5 star book up to 4 instead of down to 3.
Väldigt vacker och sorglig, men grät inte. Kanske heartless, cancer är ju ändå något som ligger nära. Men den var så vacker, och man visste att han skulle dö, så kanske därför jag höll tårarna inombords. Mycket fina tankar iaf.
This book was fine. I definitely empathize with the authors situation. However, I was not as inspired as I was hoping to be. There was a lot of descriptions of medical situations. I wished the book had gone more in-depth on the author’s feelings a little more. I am open to reading it again to see if I can grasp something I may have missed.
It feels like a live reading of a doctor accepting death and finding meaning in the life he has before and after his cancer diagnosis, with the diagnosis answering that.
A sad book.
The prose was good, and the quotes were good. I can see the author's reading history. But in some ways the book feels unfinished - as, I suppose, it is. Some parts feel like they should have been expanded upon, or failing that, not been in the book at all. The arrangement of topics within the chapters also feels somewhat clunky.
But, that said, this is still a book that made me tear up several times. Its goal was to introduce the reader to how it feels to deal with a terminal illness, and it succeeds at that pretty well.
This excerpt describes Kalanithi's memoir perfectly:
” He wanted to help people understand death and face their mortality. Dying in one's fourth decade is unusual now, but dying is not. “The thing about lung cancer is that it's not exotic,” Paul wrote in an email to his best friend, Robin. “It's just tragic enough and just imaginable enough. [The reader] can get into these shoes, walk a bit, and say, ‘So that's what it looks like from here...sooner or later I'll be back here in my own shoes.' That's what I'm aiming for, I think. Not the sensationalism of dying, and not exhortations to gather rosebuds, but: Here's what lies up ahead on the road.” Of course, he did more than just describe the terrain. He traversed it bravely. “
Everyone involved had a truly wonderful way with words and I will, indeed, be crying for the next week or so.
Absolutely adored this book. A chilling read, and an impressive one.
Impressed by how well Kalanithi was able to give voice to his time and feelings whilst he was sick. However, I do have to same that there is some classic ‘snobbery' in the book. To mention a few things; as if neurosurgeons deserve a certain type of praise for the work they do (not saying that they don't deserve praise), that there is no reason to believe in God (is argument is one that can be flipped; very weak), and the use of the term identity without a definition of identity gets my philosophical nerves running. Also the statement he made that all we know is scientific knowledge is very contradictory to literally the entire book and all he has written about. And, less related, something I fundamentally disagree with.
The writing is flawless though, I will say that. It runs like water, absolutely beautiful. You can tell that this man knows how to write and has the English language in the palms of his hands.
When the one who treats is sick.
A heartbreaking story told in a simple and a touching way
Prepare for heartbreak but also for compassion and self reflection. Neurosurgeon Paul Kalanithi's story is tragic in that not only did he die young, but there's a sad irony in realizing that the esteemed doctor had become the patient shortly after a decade of medical school.
Paul takes this opportunity to examine life's meaning. When faced with his own mortality, after years of balancing and caring for the mortality of his patients, he turns all that lived experience inward. And there is profundity here. He died before he finished and his wife, also a doctor, wrote the epilogue. That is also a heartbreak, but thankfully it gives the reader some much needed catharsis.
I can definitely say that while this was a great book that had me thinking deeply about my purpose and how we look at death here in this country- I'd be lying if I didn't say I am READY for the two Christmas themed reads I have cued up next!
The way Paul held both science and feeling in such close regard was so inspiring to behold. The epilogue by his wife was a beautiful testament to life they lived. What a powerful and special book.
It feels strange to rate this on a scale of stars, so I won't. But I devoured Paul's words within the span of a Sunday, and know that this book will stick with me.
This must be one of the most important books I've ever read; every sentence in this book felt so profound, as if I had to have a new perspective on life. Yes this man was thoroughly gifted (if him being a well read neurosurgeon with great emotional intelligence didn't say otherwise), but this book is more about how one could face death with integrity - even in the worst days of his own life, it could be filled with so much beauty and tenderness.
A beautifully written book full of antonyms: artist and scientist, doctor and patient, life and death. Kalanithi had searched for the perfect book to understand death during his life, inspired by his passion for both for neurosurgery and poetry. Perhaps, in this account of his cancer diagnosis and living with a terminal diagnosis, he has actually written that himself. A slight book, less pages than I expected, cut short as the author's own life was. Yet, somehow full to the brim of life, living, learning and so much love. Rounded out by a prologue from a much loved friend and colleague and emotionally summed up in the words of him bereaved wife.
A thoroughly recommended read.
Ugly sobbing inducing stuff! This was just devastating, poignant and oh so beautiful. I found it very triggering at times, and for such a short book it took me a while to get through. Totally worth it though - all the stars!
While the book was interesting it's the afterword that had me bawling. If you've lost someone, especially to cancer you might find this book cathartic but it might also reopen wounds, it's not always a bad thing to take a second look at your wounds but approach with caution.
Paul was indeed a great neurosurgeon-scientist and a very deep thinker who taught me the meaning of life and death in a finest way through his words. His wife Lucy and his family are really praise worthy of being so brave and rock solid in the final days of Paul's life. This book was my first non fiction I picked up and I'm glad I did that. It will remain one of my favourite books I've put my hands on. All love and prayers for every cancer fighting people out there.. ❤️
