When Breath Becomes Air

The Physician Prophet

When Breath Becomes Air is the memoir of Paul Kalanithi, a neurosurgeon in his final year of training at Stanford, whose marriage is fraying and whose back hurts - really hurts. He discovers he has terminal lung cancer, which has spread to his bones.

Dr. Kalanithi documents the journey through his last year with wide-eyed clarity and gentle prose. His writing pulls you in like an undertow and holds you down until the last page, when you are flung back up on the beach, wrung out and forever grateful. This book will live deep in your bones.

With the mind of an inquisitive physician, the hands of a expert surgeon and the soul of a thoughtful poet, Dr. Kalanithi lived an extraordinarily examined life. He stood in a unique space, between science and literature, knowing both the complex anatomy of the brain and the convoluted workings of the mind. Fascinated by what creates meaning in this life, he sought answers in literature, science and his patients’ experiences. He tells us something profoundly true and wholly original about suffering, fulfillment and purpose.

Paul and his wife healed their relationship and chose to have a daughter, who was born 8 months before Paul’s death. In a heart wrenching passage, Paul writes his infant daughter an unexpected letter. He releases her. He tells her she has already accomplished all he needs from her. Her existence brought him complete joy and she has no obligation to live in the (enormous) shadow of his memory. It is an act of such heart and generosity, that it confirms what I suspected throughout this book - Paul is a prophet. We are the ones who should live in his shadow and learn from his words.