When Breath Becomes Air
Ratings456
Average rating4.4
A fantastically emotional book with a great amount of real world discussions. Life is fleeting, and Kalanithi was able to capture a change from breaking bad news to folks, to being on the receiving side. I shed some tears, yes and was able to understand and connect more about how difficult it is to be in the positions of doctors and nurses.
It's not a long book but somehow it's still a lot.
And all of it's brilliant.
9.4/10
A partially finished memoir that beautifully intertwines life and death through the lens of a neurosurgeon. Adding this to the re-read list. Beyond the philosophical ideas this book grapples with, the exposure to the grittier side of healthcare and medicine is also fascinating and real. This book is an incredible parting gift from Paul Kalanithi and he should be remembered for it.
A beautiful book about the tolls, hardships of the field of medicine, and cancer. Kalanithi's description of his passions for science and literature really connects with me, as someone passionate about both. A beautiful story with a wonderful epilogue.
This is easily one of the greatest pieces of writing I've ever had the privilege to read. I'm at a loss for how to write about this because I'm feeling so profoundly moved and can't think. Just read it and you'll see!
In a way you can't not like this book because it's a memoir about someone's final years on earth, but it is well-written. Especially considering that the author passed away before he finished it, the editors did a good job of turning into a “finished” product.
I only cried a little bit! And that was right at the end when his wife wrote the afterword.
An immense amount of focus is required to comprehend and introspect anything subjective. Kalanithi has contemplated his final moments of Jagrath (waking state) until his samadhi (disconnecting mind from body/death ), with precision and described them casually which makes the readers review life as a collective in few episodes of his experience towards the ultimate tranquility.
This is hard to rate... I've read this at work x1.5 to x2 speed, not usually the speed I do books but did find it nice. This has two birth related scenes so if you have tokophobia not a great pick.
This book was about a doc. perspective and writings when he was dying to cancer. His journey is personal and well written. Interesting to read his working and embracing his death since he's seen both sides, additionally playing both sides being doctor/patient at once as well.
COVID-19 makes me think about nurses/doc everyday trying their best. Hearing his story now really has my heart goes out to those who treat their patients like people.
Four stars for good content. I can't say I enjoyed this book it's a hard read but it's inspiring and I'm glad I read it.
This book is beautiful and raw, truly a gift. I highly recommend others read it, especially those desiring to learn about gone when things are and remain bleak.
A powerful story of aspiration and the search for meaning in life. In the brutal twist that we all expect from the cover, the doctor seeking to understand how meaning, illness, knowledge, and death are intertwined gets to find out first hand.
There is a lot of message in this book about thinking about what gives your life meaning. If you had 3 months, what would you do today....three years? thirty? What should you do if those things are different? The idea of confronting the tragedy of uncertainty is powerful. I think that the author could have been a fantastic writer and perhaps (given the story) neurosurgeon. Tragically, he did not get that chance. This book is edited from notes he put together as his life came apart.
Having recently read “Being Mortal” by Atul Gawande, I highly recommend that readers of Kalanithi's book also look into that one. Atul had the blessing of time to complete and expound on his ideas in his book.
Whew. The audiobook was well done and I definitely cried on the way to work all week listening to it. Moving and thoughtful, and though I know his verbosity and word choices were complaints from other readers, I always welcome a chance encounter with seldomly used words, like ineluctable. This book will stay with me.
The book chronicles the life and death of the author, Kalanithi, who is a neuroscience doctor and later cancer patient. The author gives a description on how he views death from both the perspective of first a doctor and later a patient. Unfortunately, Kalanithi died before he got a chance to finish the book, and his wife has added a chapter at the end, detailing the last days of the author and giving her description of who Kalanithi was.
I selected this book since it was praised and a recommended read. Reading the description I thought it would give interesting points on death, indeed since the author has the unique perspective on death from both a doctor and a patient. Maybe it would give me an understanding of what it means to die, and thus, what it ultimately means to live.
However, I did not find clear and concise arguments on this. The book was halfway finished when the author died and indeed to me it feels like the author did not have time to clean up his arguments, but that the book is rather a collection of unfinished thoughts.
The chapter at the end, by Kalanithi's wife, at first read as a way to close off the book, describing the final days of the author. However, at the end I felt like she “took over” the book and described how much she missed him and how great he was, which I don't think fits in with the goal of the book.
It's a great retelling of real-life experience of a terminal ill person, and how his unsure future affects his life. However, for the doctor's aspect of the story I would rather advise ‘This is going to hurt' by Adam Kay, which is more entertaining and clearer to follow. For a tragic end-of-life story I would advise ‘the Heart' by Maylis de Kerangal.
Not for the faint of heart
A wonderful book. I wish he would have lived to write more. I would have been a loyal reader. A masterful writer that cuts straight to the heart of the good and bad. Worth the read if you can handle it!
Paul found out he had stage IV cancer at the same age as me. While his cancer was debilitating, he fought its ups and downs while grappling with the nature of death and treatment. It's well written and Paul had a gift with words. At the end, the book helps you question your morality and what it means to be alive, face death and love.
A short but powerful book about trying to deal with the devastating news of a horrifying illness.
The writing of Paul captivated me from start to finish. I wanted to know all of his thoughts about the tiniest details. His more scientific look at his illness felt enlightening. Even though I have no medical background it helped me to better understand and feel for everyone with such illnesses.
The medical behind the scenes although pretty interesting, didn't do that much for me. I know that they're essential to his life and therefore is memoirs but I could've lived with a bit less of it.
The parts were he was just a patient and not a doctor were the most intimate.
Ironically the most resonating and memorable part of Pauls memoir for me, wasn't something he wrote. It was the afterword if his wife.
This book was heartbreaking,heartwarming, inspiring, poignant and utterly beautiful. On a unbearably hot summers day, I was utterly gripped by this story and I finished it in one sitting. This book is so important and really does give you food for thought on the matter of life and death. Paul Kalanithi was an inspirational and beautiful soul and this book is a testament to his hardworking and dignified spirit as a doctor and then as a patient with terminal cancer. I also loved the Epilogue by his wife Lucy which must have took so much courage on her behalf but which gave such a lovely and heartfelt complimentary aside to this novel. This novel really allows you to step inside the humanity of another person at their most fragile period in life. This was just such a striking and beautiful memoir and I urge everyone who cares about human goodness to read this book. It is a weeper of a book but Lucy summarises beautifully in her Epilogue the core of Paul's story which is that ‘what happened to Paul was tragic but he was not a tragedy'. Simply stunning.
I'm a complete sucker for the Memoir genre and this one did not disappoint. And the afterward by the author's wife left me a crying mess. I'm not usually big on audiobooks (I guess my mind usually just wanders too much when I try a book in this form), but I highly recommend the audio version of this one!
Beautifully written. Like how his wife describes the writer's grave site, this memoir too will make you uncomfortable, even as you find some peace in its words.