Recent Reads: When Breath Becomes Air, by Paul Kalanithi

This semester, one of my professors has recommended a plethora of neurology-related books (she’s a neurological rehabilitation clinician and professor, so it makes sense) that she thinks are excellent. 

I had some extra time (for once), so decided to give one of them a read; When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi. Wow, what a book. All I can say is that it was excellent. 

When Breath Becomes Air tells the story of a senior neurosurgical resident who discovers that he has cancer in his mid thirties (crazy), from his point of view. 

Paul has such a unique perspective on the whole process, from suspecting there was something going wrong with him, to ignoring it, finally getting it checked out, and then through his whole battle with the disease. It truly is a warrior’s tale of bravery in the face of the unknown and the dimensions of life and death.

Being in the medical field himself, and understanding exactly what the state of his cancer means for him, Paul is able to really draw parallels between what we do as medical professionals and how that translates to our patients and their lives. 

This book is such a well-written and touching story from beginning to end, focused almost essentially on tough questions about what makes a life well-lived, and how to spend your time in a purposeful way (maybe that’s part of the reason I couldn’t put it down; sounds like a familiar concept to me, haha). 

Paul Kalanithi’s writing just draws you in right from the start, and his uncanny ability to explain even the most complex medical issues in plain and simple language will have even people with no medical knowledge whatsoever following right along with his story. 

He also has such a knack for connecting with people that you can just tell he was an amazing doctor. 

I highly recommend this read for anyone who loves a story that has heart, but will leave you very sentimental. I’m not going to play it down, it had me totally close to tears and feeling so grateful for Bryson and wanting to give him such a big hug. 

Anyone else read this book? I’d love to hear your thoughts on it or any other books that you recommend!