7 Feb 2017

book review: when breath becomes air by paul kalanithi

I was gifted this book at Christmas and I managed to read it in just three days. When Breath Becomes Air is a book written by a neurosurgeon from the U.S. and follows his story after his diagnosis of lung cancer in his thirties. 


From the beginning, I was hooked. Paul Kalanithi is a good writer and included just enough detail about his childhood and personal life to make him, in my opinion, relatable to anyone who doesn't have a connection to the medical field. He writes about his diagnosis and the journey through his disease with frank detail and there is an air of 'this could happen to anyone' about his writing.

I'm sure a lot of us would agree that any disease that could potentially be terminal is extremely sad and we would probably feel this emotion at this thought. However, this book really makes you put yourself in the author's shoes and this, at least to me, increased my understanding of what it is like for a patient with a chronic disease.

Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone who wants an insight into a disease from a patient's point of view - but not just any patient; a doctor who has been forced to become the patient. When Breath Becomes Air gets a solid 8/10.

1 comment

  1. I have had my eye on this book for a while now and you have just convinced me. Ordered it on amazon! Haha. Emotional books get the better of me but I feel like it's so important to try and understand what life is like for people in horrible situations like this. x

    Kate | http://www.paintingoctober.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete