When Breath Becomes Air

When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Note – For those interested in seeing what Paul Kalanithi was like and hearing his voice this clip from Youtube provides and excellent visual and you can hear him talking about his beliefs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5u753wQeyM

Note – Note this is a Ted Talks by Paul's wife Lucy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5-yBjKKicA

This book was nothing like I expected. I've read a few medical books, that I have posted about, that discuss the authors adventures on combating illnesses that turn them inside out BUT this book was completely different. When the book starts, Kalanithi is working his way through grad school to become a fantastic neurosurgeon, a tasks that takes a considerable amount of time and dedication. He starts out with the attitude that patients are like 'paper'. As he gets diagnosed and becomes a patient his values and beliefs change drastically. He learns the art of bringing people at ease with a not so pleasant ending, he has to plan for his future and he has to challenge his thinking regarding the force known as death. The book is scattered with lovely quotes and mantras from various people/places (I'm a quote and saying lover, so this was a very lovely touch within the book). It brings a sense of peace around the whole notion of death. This book was an eye opening read for myself. I did not like the afterword of the book as I found his wife did not carry on his style of writing very well and was often repetitive to no end. The hero does die in this one but it's not as bad as people like to think. There's a bitter-sweetness to it that makes you take an easy exhale when finished reading the book. This book gets all 5 stars and a bonus because it was that good and that rewarding to read. Through the suffering and pain there is a magical beauty of learning and peace to it all.


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