When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi Book Review

Title: When Breath Becomes Air
Author: Paul Kalanithi
Publisher: Random House
Genre: Memoir, Nonfiction
Year of Publication: 2016
Date of Publication: January 12, 2016
Pages: 256
ISBN-10: 081298840X
ISBN-13: 978-0812988406
Audiobook Narrator: Sunil Malhotra and Cassandra Campbell

Our Rating of This Book

Summary of When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi

When Breath Becomes Air is a memoir by Dr. Paul Kalanithi, a neurosurgeon who faces his terminal cancer diagnosis at the height of his career. The son of immigrants, Kalanithi spent his childhood in Arizona.

Motivated by his mother, he excelled academically. Kalanithi’s path then led him to Yale School of Medicine and a residency program at Stanford. During his training, he encountered the harsh realities of suffering and death, which he had previously only read about.

“What makes life meaningful enough to go on living.” — Kalanithi’s reflections

Through storytelling, Kalanithi brings readers into the stark realities of waiting rooms and sterile operating theaters, painting scenes of both heartbreak and hope. These experiences set the stage for his own confrontation with mortality, detailed in the second part of the memoir.

A devastating stage IV lung cancer diagnosis thrusts Kalanithi into a personal struggle with the reality of his finite time.

Main Themes

Kalanithi explores the tension between his role as a healer and his vulnerability as a patient. The book also examines the philosophical questions of what it means to live a good life and how to find meaning in the face of inevitable death.

Writing Style

Paul Kalanithi’s writing includes a lot scientific information but he does a remarkable job of blending this with poetic reflections. His ability to convey complex medical and philosophical ideas in a simple manner makes the book both intellectually engaging and emotionally moving.

This book is so well written. We really liked how the book makes you reflect on whether your life has meaning and if you have and are making the right choices with your time. As a reader, especially if you are someone who is extremely driven by a purpose, the book reminds you that not everything can wait till tomorrow and you should remember to live. But even more importantly, it reminds those who are facing challenging diagnosis that they should continue living until the end.

“but knowing that even if I’m dying, until I actually die, I am still living.” — Kalanithi’s reflections

The foreword of the book is written by Abraham Verghese, while the epilogue is written by Paul Kalanithi’s wife, Lucy. Her epilogue was such a pleasure to read and definitely made us cry. It is open and talks about how both of them supported each other at different stages of their lives.

“Can you breathe okay with my head on your chest like this?” His answer was “It’s the only way I know how to breathe.”

The book also includes a wonderful message from Kalanithi to his daughter about her life and what she meant to him.

“When you come to one of the many moments in life when you must give an account of yourself, provide a ledger you have been, and done, and meant to the world, do not, I pray, discount that you filled a dying man’s days with a sated joy, a joy unknown to me in all my prior years, a joy that does not hunger for more and more, but rests, satisfied. In this time, right now, that is an enormous thing.

Final Thoughts on When Breath Becomes Air

The memoir offers insights into the fragility and beauty of life. It sparks conversations about death, purpose, and the human spirit. Kalanithi warns about the detachment that can develop from prolonged exposure to death and suffering. He admits he once felt himself focused on the treatment of diseases and utterly missing the larger human significance.

“I was not yet with patients in their pivotal moments. I was merely at those pivotal moment. I observed a lot of suffering, worse, I became inured to it.” — Kalanithi’s reflections

For him, healing required more than technical skill; it demanded an understanding of the patient’s identity, values, and sense of purpose.

Before his illness, Kalanithi saw death as a challenge to overcome in his patients, a barrier he sought to extend for them, grain by grain. For himself, as for most people, death seemed inevitable but far off. His diagnosis shattered this illusion, forcing him to confront mortality directly at the height of his career.

When Breath Becomes Air invites readers to rethink mortality and discover meaning in their own lives through Kalanithi’s courageous story.

What are your thoughts on this book? Have you had a chance to read it? Let us know in the comments!

Authors

Ufuoma Akpotaire

Ufuoma Akpotaire is a passionate book, movie and music reviewer with a love for travel and culture. She combines her enthusiasm for storytelling with her experience exploring new places and stories. Through her reviews, she celebrates creativity and inspires readers to appreciate the connections between books, movies, music, travel, and global cultures.
Nathaniel Adebayo

Nathaniel is a Media Content Specialist at Verayea, where he specializes in curating content and gathering data for the company’s extensive book library. He is also dedicated to writing insightful reviews, offering thoughtful perspectives on a range of media. His work ensures that Verayea’s library is comprehensive, well-organized, and informative, providing valuable resources for its audience.