Book Review: When Breath Becomes Air

When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Paul Kalanithi was a neurosurgeon who turned into a patient himself when he was diagnosed with aggressive stage IV lung cancer when he was 36 years old. Knowing he didn’t have long left to live, he began reevaluating the meaning of life and death and started writing this beautiful book. He died at 37 before he could complete the book, so his wife finished the book and published it posthumously. He reflects on his relationship with his patients, his family, his wife, and his baby daughter who is too young to remember him after his death. The way Kalanithi reorganizes his priorities in life when he knows he only has a few months to live is eye-opening. It made me think about how I would approach my life if I knew it was coming to an end way sooner than expected. If you have ever experienced the untimely death of a loved one who was sick for months before finally crossing over, this book will give you new perspectives to their experience. It will also make you reevaluate your own priorities in life. A beautifully written memoir through the life and death of Paul Kalanithi.


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