2019 Book Reviews

#15 When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi

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This nonfiction memoir tells us the story of Paul, born to an Indian American family, who, having worked all his life to become a neurosurgeon and reaching a point where his future is looking bright, is diagnosed with terminal cancer and unfortunately passes away. This book was published after his death and was his final work.

It is a tragic real life story of someone who worked tirelessly toward delayed gratification only for that gratification to never arrive. This is an emotional book and many parts are difficult to read. Particularly toward the end where Paul writes an open message to his infant daughter. The afterword, written Paul's widow Lucy is also a very touching tribute to the man we briefly meet and gives us a glimpse into his final moments and her and her daughter's life after his passing.

My rating: 8.3/10