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When Breath Becomes Air

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When Breath Becomes Air

By: Paul Kalanithi
Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell, Sunil Malhotra
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About this listen

THE NEW YORK TIMES NUMBER ONE BESTSELLER

'Finishing this book and then forgetting about it is simply not an option...Unmissable' New York Times

At the age of thirty-six, on the verge of completing a decade’s training as a neurosurgeon, Paul Kalanithi was diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer. 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?

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.

 Cancer Death & Dying Grief & Loss Medical Personal Development Physical Illness & Disease Professionals & Academics Relationships Sociology South Asian Creators Thought-Provoking Heartfelt Inspiring Surgery Medicine

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Critic reviews

A vital book about dying. Awe-inspiring and exquisite. Obligatory reading for the living. (Nigella Lawson)
Rattling. Heartbreaking. Beautiful. (Atul Gawande, author of BEING MORTAL)
A great, indelible book ... as intimate and illuminating as Atul Gawande’s “Being Mortal,” to cite only one recent example of a doctor’s book that has had exceptionally wide appeal ... I guarantee that finishing this book and then forgetting about it is simply not an option ... gripping from the start ... None of it is maudlin. Nothing is exaggerated. As he wrote to a friend: “It’s just tragic enough and just imaginable enough.” And just important enough to be unmissable.
Powerful and poignant.
Less a memoir than a reflection on life and purpose… A vital book.
Extraordinary...Remarkable... luminous, revelatory memoir about mortality and what makes being alive meaningful ... Lyrical, intimate, insistent and profound. Kalanithi had the mind of the polymath and the ear of a poet.
Powerful and poignant… Elegantly written posthumous memoir… Should be compulsory for anyone who intends to be a doctor… A profound reflection on the meaning of life.
A stark, fascinating, well-written and heroic memoir. (Stefanie Marsh)
Exceptional. (Katie Law)
When I came to the end of the last flawless paragraph of When Breath Becomes Air, all I could do was turn to the first page and read the whole thing again. Searingly intelligent, beautifully written, and beyond brave, I haven't been so marked by a book in years. (Gabriel Weston, author of DIRECT RED)
All stars
Most relevant
Moving in 'real time' this book shares the intimacy of terminal illness without drama or pathos.
A superb account of a personal experience that captures fear, hope and love.

Fear hope and love

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This book will stop you in your tracks. On several levels this book is amazing!

From a literal perspective it's brilliant, Paul's writing put you there like you are in the room with him sharing the moment that became so precious.

The book is also brilliant (having studied human physiology for years) Paul bridges the all too often gap between patient & doctor showing a true depth of empathy & thought for quality of life from both sides, first as a neurologist & second as a patient.

As a father the book also show true love. Love that had me in tears more than once & even now writing this.

Paul also loved his family enough to show such courage & bravery in his last days knowing that his actions may effect their future.

This book will challenge you, but it's worth it.

On several levels this book is simply amazing!

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Really enjoyed the story although it was a tough listen. It made me realise how ‘lucky’ people (and loved ones) are if they know they are going to die compared to those who die suddenly with no prior symptoms; it gives time for loved ones to adjust.

Honest. Positive. Heart braking.

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The book is really good, but the narrating wasn't. Quite many times it made me feel like the person talking was trying too hard to make the listener feel a certain way - like bad quality emotion provocation. Too bad, since the book doesn't need anything like that, it has a lot to say and as a reader/listener it makes you both feel and think

Book/Listening

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I listened to this book as a recommendation from a friend. I wasn’t sure what to expect, I thought it would be about neuroscience and the complex stories what Paul had been involved with. However, that’s not what I got! This was beautifully written, more like a classic novel. The book follows Paul’s journey in life, training and residency was a particular favourite of mine. However, the cruel twist of fate turned the story onto a different path. It was an emotional ending that made me realise the important things in life. Great listen and inspiring.

The tragic story of a life that wasn’t a tradegy!

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