When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi

What makes life worth living in the face of death? What do you do when the future, which you worked tirelessly for, is no longer a ladder toward your goals in life, and instead, is shadowed by inevitable death that came too soon? When Breath Becomes Air is an intricately crafted non-fiction autobiographical book written by Paul Kalanithi, a neurosurgeon who, at the age of 36 and on the verge of completing a decade’s worth of training, was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer. This book chronicles Kalanithi’s transformation from a medical student yearning to learn about and to live a meaningful life, to a neurosurgeon at Stanford, and finally into a patient and new father facing his own mortality.

There are numerous themes which permeate this book, some of which are, the meaning of life, the difference between the sciences and the humanities, doctor-patient relationships and the importance of support from loved ones during harsh times.

As Paul said, “What makes life meaningful? I still felt literature provided the best account of the life of the mind, while neuroscience laid down the most elegant rules of the brain. Meaning, while a slippery concept, seemed inextricable from human relationships and moral values.” From this quote, and others in the book, we learn about the meaning of life. Man, even with prodigious achievements such as being a neurosurgeon who had made astonishing breakthroughs in neuroscience, will still be incapable to turn back the sands of time at the end of the day. Hence, as cliche as it may sound, this book has taught me to live life to the fullest. We may be able to gain colossal amounts of money, but, it is not about how much we earn in the time we have, but what we can do with the time we have.

The difference between Science and Literature, two very different areas of study, and the equal importance of both of them was also discussed in this book. Paul, who was initially a neurosurgeon before he was diagnosed, had to go through the transition from being a well-practiced doctor to a patient whose daily life was shadowed by death. From the book, the readers can understand the paramount importance of having loved ones by their side, especially during times of difficulty. Paul was fortunate to have his wife, baby daughter, friends and family members by his side to support and motivate to do the most he can with the little time that he had left.

This book also enabled me to understand more about neuroscience, a field of work which I am interested in. The readers follow Kalanithi from his early school years, when the question of his career choice had barely registered in him, to his residency as a neurosurgeon. We acquire knowledge on the struggles one might face during residency and what neurosurgeons in-training do on a daily basis.

When Breath Becomes Air is a remarkable and memorable life-affirming reflection on the challenge of confronting mortality, the meaning of life and the tedious, laborious and exhausting job of neurosurgeons. Overall, this book is extremely resourceful, informative and eye-opening, and I definitely recommend it to anyone who wants to gain a deeper understanding of neuroscience, or of life itself.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25899336-when-breath-becomes-air

Htoo Myat Noe

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