Hello,
I recently completed reading this book titled "When Breath Becomes Air". It was published posthumously in 2016 as a memoir written by Paul Kalanithi. Although I had read a few non-fictional works before, this book was an entirely new experience for me. Paul Kalanithi was an American neurosurgeon and writer, deeply interested in literature, mortality, and the meaning of life. He completed his master’s in English Literature at Stanford University before pursuing medical training.
This book offers an intimate glimpse into Paul’s most intense and personal moments with his wife, family, and friends. He was living a dream life until he was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer. The memoir stands as a testament to his passion for literature and his unwavering commitment to his patients and his duties as a doctor. The narrative is rich with intertextual references to various literary works that shaped Paul’s perspective on life and death. His love for reading was instilled in him by his mother during his childhood.
The title itself is compelling enough to draw readers in. Breathing is an essential and ceaseless act for human beings yet, in the face of death, it becomes nothing more than mere air. The book grapples with profound questions: Is it possible to find meaning and purpose in life when standing at the brink of death? When we know we have only a few months left, how do we make sense of our existence? This memoir offers an answer.
Paul describes his life as an intersection of biology, philosophy, literature, and mortality. He was obsessed with understanding the meaning of life, death, and the workings of the human brain, which is why he chose neurosurgery—a field where science and mortality constantly intertwine. The book is filled with medical terminology and disease names that can be difficult to pronounce, adding to its authenticity. Another key aspect of the memoir is its exploration of medical ethics and the doctor-patient relationship. Paul provides a detailed account of his journey from an undergraduate student to a neurosurgical resident, frequently called upon in emergency cases. The advice he once gave to his patients now applied to him, as he found himself on the other side, in the shoes of a patient.
The book features a foreword by Dr. Abraham Verghese and a heart-wrenching epilogue written by Paul’s wife, Lucy Kalanithi. Structurally, the memoir is divided into two parts, with the latter focusing more on Paul’s mental state after his diagnosis. He describes how treatments like chemotherapy made him physically weak, yet he remained mentally strong, preparing himself for the struggles ahead. It was in the midst of this conflict that he wrote this book, encapsulating both his life and his illness.
I believe that death is something we all fear, even if we deny it. As human beings, our fundamental instinct is to survive as long as possible. In the face of death, there comes a moment when we think of ourselves and our loved ones, and our imagined future with them—we want to live. For Paul, the birth of his daughter, Cady, gave him a renewed sense of purpose and a meaning to his life, even in the little time he had left.
"Paul faced each stage of his illness with grace—not with bravado or a misguided faith that he would ‘overcome’ or ‘beat’ cancer, but with an authenticity that allowed him to grieve the loss of the future he had planned and forge a new one."
This excerpt from the book reflects his resilience. He did not take a blind leap of faith but faced his reality fearlessly and vulnerably. In such moments of disaster we come to realize the importance of humans relationships and family. It was because of this Paul was able to live a little bit longer. Stories like this remind us that ‘death need not be proud’.
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