When Breath Becomes Air

Paul Kalanithi · ★★★★★ · Jun 19, 2017
Cover of When Breath Becomes Air
Random House First published 2016
philosophy Neurosurgeons Cancer Lungs Husband and wife

When Breath Becomes Air is a non-fiction autobiographical book written by American neurosurgeon Paul Kalanithi. It is a memoir about his life and illness, battling stage IV metastatic lung cancer. It was posthumously published by Random House on January 12, 2016.

My Review

Tragic, thought provoking, life changing

I cried for Paul and for Lucy multiple times while reading Paul’s words, and yet I couldn’t put the book down. This book has the potential to change the way you think about your own mortality - it is an emotionally and morally tough read, but also, it is filled with meaning, love, and entertaining stories that shed light on the crazy and grueling world of a doctor, and also stories that teach.