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A review by _askthebookbug
When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi
5.0
When Breath Becomes Air - #bookrecommendation
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"Before my cancer was diagnosed, I knew that someday I would die, but I didn’t know when. After the diagnosis, I knew that someday I would die, but I didn’t know when. But now I knew it acutely. The problem wasn’t really a scientific one. The fact of death is unsettling. Yet there is no other way to live." - Paul Kalanithi.
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Death is a hard thing to talk about. It's even more harder when you know it's going to engulf you in the next few months. But Paul does it gloriously. He talks about life before and after cancer. Being a neurosurgeon, Paul knows the survival rate and perhaps this is why he bid goodbye gracefully. He embraced death the way one embraces life. When Breath Becomes Air is an intense book that ends tragically. It even begins with the author being addressed in the past tense so you know it's all over. But it's Paul's journey that counts. His rawness and unflinching attitude that he carried till the very end.
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When Paul was 36, he was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer and he immediately knew that his chances of survival were not too satisfactory. He begins to assess the remaining months and how best he can spend them with his family. On the verge on completing his neurosurgeon course, Paul is devastated by his diagnosis. But he is determined to fight the disease as best as he can and soon behind the treatment. What makes this journey incredible is the fact that Paul decided to go back to the OR and handle cases successfully after having recovered from the first diagnosis. His love for neurosurgery makes him strong enough to fight fiercely.
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We know that the book ends with Paul's death but I particularly loved the last bit where his wife describes about Paul's passion and character. The way he died in peace with his family around him by kissing his wife and daughter goodbye. This memoir is easily one of the best I've had the chance to read this year. It's honest, brutal and also oozes strength. A must read.
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Rating - 5/5.
•
"Before my cancer was diagnosed, I knew that someday I would die, but I didn’t know when. After the diagnosis, I knew that someday I would die, but I didn’t know when. But now I knew it acutely. The problem wasn’t really a scientific one. The fact of death is unsettling. Yet there is no other way to live." - Paul Kalanithi.
•
Death is a hard thing to talk about. It's even more harder when you know it's going to engulf you in the next few months. But Paul does it gloriously. He talks about life before and after cancer. Being a neurosurgeon, Paul knows the survival rate and perhaps this is why he bid goodbye gracefully. He embraced death the way one embraces life. When Breath Becomes Air is an intense book that ends tragically. It even begins with the author being addressed in the past tense so you know it's all over. But it's Paul's journey that counts. His rawness and unflinching attitude that he carried till the very end.
•
When Paul was 36, he was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer and he immediately knew that his chances of survival were not too satisfactory. He begins to assess the remaining months and how best he can spend them with his family. On the verge on completing his neurosurgeon course, Paul is devastated by his diagnosis. But he is determined to fight the disease as best as he can and soon behind the treatment. What makes this journey incredible is the fact that Paul decided to go back to the OR and handle cases successfully after having recovered from the first diagnosis. His love for neurosurgery makes him strong enough to fight fiercely.
•
We know that the book ends with Paul's death but I particularly loved the last bit where his wife describes about Paul's passion and character. The way he died in peace with his family around him by kissing his wife and daughter goodbye. This memoir is easily one of the best I've had the chance to read this year. It's honest, brutal and also oozes strength. A must read.
•
Rating - 5/5.