When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi

This is a book by Paul Kalanithi(you probably already know from the title), a neurosurgeon and writer. A few of my friends were reading this book previously and they had rather good ratings for it. As such, I got curious. At first glance, the title attracted my attention, it's so well thought of and clever. Just by looking at the title, I feel like I am able to sense the emotions that will be evoked as one reads the book, and it already got me thinking about the sanctity of life-truly a doctor's work, which also, at the same time, brings out the philosophical aspect of the doctor's life and his talent in language and writing. Honestly, few books have made me feel this way, and so, I was excited to pick up this book.

The Prologue already caught my attention, it was written in a way which was easy to understand and at the same time, the language was so powerful it allowed me to feel how the author was feeling. The memoir was then divided into two parts: In Perfect Health I Begin and Cease Not till Death. They recount the author's life and his thoughts about life before and after his cancer diagnosis. Every word in this memoir is selected carefully to highlight the author's deep and philosophical thoughts and to evoke feelings in the reader. This well crafted book brings us into the author's world, giving me a chance to get up close and personal with the author's thought and discusses the meaning of life and death and of time and choice. It brings out the interrelatedness and complexity of these elements of life, provoking the thoughts of readers.

A few thoughts came to mind as I read the memoir. The unpredictable nature of life and concept of time which is connected to life and death stood out for me. The fact that the writer never got the chance to complete the book properly really highlights the limits bound by time and it got me thinking about the fact that in life, perfection is something that can't be achieved. No matter how hard we try to have a perfect ending, there will always be gaps here and there, or sometimes, things will not end the way we want it to. As such, we certainly have to learn to let go and embrace the imperfections in life.

Also, the personal voice is very strong in the book. It really brings out the strength of the writer, his 'never say die' spirit in face of illness and death, how he fought hard with cancer, how he got back up strong. He is really an inspiration to me.

Honestly, it is a waste for such a young and gifted person to be gone so soon, but in my opinion, he may be gone, but he lives on in the hearts of many whom he have touched and inspired. And his story will certainly live on continue inspiring many others.

So, if you haven't picked up this book, I would strongly recommend that you do so if you can, it is a very good read which teaches and inspires, and it was a book which I found it hard to put down once I started. One of the most meaningful reads I have ever read. My post probably does this book no justice as I'm not very good at expressing my thoughts and feelings and I am sincerely sorry for this, but if you do read the book, I hope you will understand what I mean here.

And with that, I wish that you will have an enjoyable time reading this book if you get the chance to get your hands on it.

~Jen