When Breath Becomes Air: Pulitzer Prize Finalist
**THE MILLION COPY BESTSELLER**
'Rattling. Heartbreaking. Beautiful.' Atul Gawande, bestselling author of Being Mortal
What makes life worth living in the face of death?
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.
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.
'A vital book about dying. Awe-inspiring and exquisite. Obligatory reading for the living' Nigella Lawson
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What Bookclubbers are saying about this book
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Readers say *When Breath Becomes Air* is a deeply moving and beautifully written memoir exploring life, death, and meaning through the eyes of a termi...
I can't even imagine how much he must've struggled to get this book written, but I'm very glad he accomplished this one last amazing goal.
OhMyGod...it's hard to call it a beautiful story. It's hard not to. Maybe it's better saying parts of it are beautiful, while also gut-wrenching. The writing was amazing (to me). That the author was a doctor (granted, strong background and foundation as a reader/writer), I was impressed with the manner in which he composed his thoughts and conveyed them to an audience.
There was one part that REALLY burned my *rse. That m*th*r f*ck*r who pushed back on the meds the author requested. I really, really, REALLY dislike that guy.
I need to do more research, but without understanding why it was done - or in this case not, I do not like that the author's title is not listed alongside his name.
From his experiences as a neurosurgeon to his battle with terminal illness, each moment is crafted with such raw honesty and vulnerability that I found myself unable to put the book down. Kalanithi's exploration of mortality and the human condition is both heart-wrenching and life-affirming, leaving a lasting impact on anyone fortunate enough to delve into its pages. It’s not just a book; it's a masterpiece of storytelling that transcends the boundaries of genre and leaves an indelible mark on the soul.
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