When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi (2016 nonfiction)
This is a remarkable book about the death of a young, Stanford neurosurgeon at the age of 37. More than that, however, are the life-affirming messages throughout. Everyone asks and will answer in different ways, “What makes life worth living?” An insight into how one man and his loving and supportive wife answered that question is a gift to all readers. Paul Kalanithi began to write this book after he received the diagnosis of Stage IV lung cancer. His life journey though a number of seemingly disparate academic degrees is brought to closure with his very premature death. His goal in life, to be a brain surgeon and a neuroscientist, was realized during his last years of life; his other important goal was to finish his book. He almost had it completed upon his death; his wife Lucy, also a doctor, completed it for him. The introduction by another brilliant surgeon and writer at Stanford, Abraham Verghese gives the reader an enticing glimpse as what awaits in the book to follow. Elegantly written, When Breath Becomes Air is full of wisdom, insights from both a doctor’s and a patient’s perspective; Paul Kalanithi was both. It makes a grand companion piece to Atul Gawande’s Being Mortal. Both books face issues of life and death of loved ones and self with grace and positive strength. Sad, yes, but upon completion the reader can feel fulfilled and positive about “what is now and what lies ahead”. Available in the Castro Valley Library in the usual format plus large print and eBook.
Reviewed by Carol Lyke
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