When Breath Becomes Air (6/5)

Paul Kalanithi

Another book from my parents’ library. Once I finished this book, I had to create a new shelf on my Goodreads account called ‘Beautiful’ where I could put this one.

I have drafted many opening sentences to this review, none of which are good enough.

It’s a beautiful book about death, and life. As a neurosurgeon diagnosed with terminal cancer, Paul Kalanithi knows death and life well. He knows both what it’s like to communicate to a patient death and to be communicated a fatal sentence.

The passages on his early training as a medical student are brutally honest and very interesting. The relationship students have with their donated cadavers is quite remarkable.

I think that this book helps one come to terms with death as a natural part of life (if one hasn’t already).

I’m writing sentences and nothing can remotely come close to conveying the beauty that Paul Kalanithi has created from this book.

He wrote an essay for the The New York Times which will hopefully give you a flavour of his writing (you can find it here, I unfortunately could not read it as my two free NYT articles had been used up).

Another book that merits a 6/5 on Goodreads. I discovered that, unbeknownst to each other, both my parents had recommended this exact book to some guy named Steve when he asked them for their best book recommendations. Here are some of the one line statements about the book:

“I guarantee that finishing this book and then forgetting about it is simply not an option… unmissable” - New York Times (I absolutely agree with this)

“When Breath Becomes Air… split my head open with its beauty. Truly. Madly. Deeply.” - Cheryl Strayed

“This is one of a handful of books I consider to be a universal donor - I would recommend it to anyone, everyone” - Ann Patchett (clearly both my parents and myself are in complete agreement)

Here is a better review if you would like a more in depth one.

The writer in his scrubs.

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