--- title: Breath Becomes Air tagline: Diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer date: 2023-01-27 00:00:00 +0100 description: > When Breath Becomes Air chronicles Kalanithi's transformation from a medical student into a patient. Paul Kalanithi at the age of thirty-six, on the verge of completing a decade’s training as a neurosurgeon, was diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer. categories: [ Book ] tags: [ Biography ] image: path: /assets/images/collections/books/biography/when_breath_becomes_air.jpg book: cover: /assets/images/collections/books/biography/when_breath_becomes_air.jpg format: hardback pages: 256 publisher: Vintage Publishing published: 2016 author: Paul Kalanithi ISBN10: 1847923674 ISBN13: 9781847923677 rank: 40 toc: false fab_menu_id: default scrollbar: false regenerate: false resources: [ animate ] resource_options: - attic: padding_top: 600 slides: - url: /assets/images/modules/attics/giammarco-boscaro-1920x1280.jpg alt: Photo by Giammarco on Unsplash badge: type: unsplash author: Giammarco href: https://unsplash.com/@giamboscaro --- // Page Initializer // ============================================================================= // Enable the Liquid Preprocessor :page-liquid: // Set page (local) attributes here // ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- // :page--attr: // Place an excerpt at the most top position // ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Paul Kalanithi at the age of thirty-six, on the verge of completing a decade's training as a neurosurgeon, was diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer. Paul Kalanithi died while working on this profoundly moving book, yet his words live on as a guide to us all. When Breath Becomes Air is a life-affirming reflection on facing our mortality and on the relationship between doctor and patient, from a gifted writer who became both. excerpt__end // Page content // ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ mdi:clock-time-five-outline[24px, md-gray mr-2] *3 Minutes* to read // Include sub-documents (if any) // [role="mt-5"] [[readmore]] The *NEW YORK TIMES* Number One Bestseller, the *SUNDAY TIMES* Bestseller: Finishing this book and then forgetting about it is simply not an option: *Unmissable*. image:{{page.book.cover}}[role="mr-4 float-left"] In "When Breath Becomes Air," Kalanithi reflects on his life, career, and the profound questions of meaning and mortality he grapples with after his cancer diagnosis. The memoir explores his journey from being a promising neurosurgeon to becoming a patient confronting his mortality. Kalanithi writes about his passion for literature and philosophy and how they intersected with his medical career. He delves into the intricacies of human existence, the significance of relationships, and the impact of his diagnosis on his identity nd sense of purpose. One day he was a doctor treating the dying, the next he was a patient struggling to live. When Breath Becomes Air chronicles Kalanithi's transformation from a medical student asking what makes a virtuous and meaningful life into a neurosurgeon working in the core of human identity   --   the brain   --   and finally into a patient and a new father. What makes life worth living in the face of death? What do you do when when life is catastrophically interrupted? What does it mean to have a child as your own life fades away? The book explores Kalanithi's experiences as a doctor and a patient, providing a unique perspective on life, death, and the ethical dilemmas medical professionals face. It is a poignant reflection on the fragility of life and the search for meaning in the face of mortality. Paul Kalanithi died while working on this profoundly moving book, yet his words live on as a guide to us all. When Breath Becomes Air is a life-affirming reflection on facing our mortality and on the relationship between doctor and patient, from a gifted writer who became both.