Cancer
Random House
February 1, 2016
DARC
256
Netgalley
THE NEW YORK TIMES NUMBER ONE BESTSELLER THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER 'Finishing this book and then forgetting about it is simply not an option...Unmissable' New York Times At the age of thirty-six, on the verge of completing a decadeâe(tm)s training as a neurosurgeon, Paul Kalanithi was diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer. One day he was a doctor treating the dying, the next he was a patient struggling to live. When Breath Becomes Air chronicles Kalanithiâe(tm)s transformation from a medical student asking what makes a virtuous and meaningful life into a neurosurgeon working in the core of human identity âe" the brain âe" and finally into a patient and a new father. What makes life worth living in the face of death? What do you do when when life is catastrophically interrupted? What does it mean to have a child as your own life fades away? Paul Kalanithi died while working on this profoundly moving book, yet his words live on as a guide to us all. When Breath Becomes Air is a life-affirming reflection on facing our mortality and on the relationship between doctor and patient, from a gifted writer who became both.
Several Book tubers that I subscribe to on YouTube had talked about this book before I requested it and it was that that made request it on Netgalley. When my request was approved I was really pleased because it is my aim to read more non-fiction particularly memoires this year.
I gave this book a 5 star rating because I enjoyed reading it even though it was about Cancer and would both purchase it as a gift/ recommend it to anyone who’s interested in finding out about Cancer, Medical Training and Neuro-surgery.
I am so glad that I was able to read this book so I could give an honest review of it as I had never read a book about cancer and although the authors writing was a little weak in places I did like the literary references that he used during the book. Although the forward was interesting I didn’t feel that it really added much to the book but the epilogue that his wife wrote at the end did as it not only clarified why the main body of the book seemed a little disjointed at times but was also extremely poingnent.
This book didn’t just provide me the reader with a lot of information about Cancer and its treatment but also about medical training and Neurosurgery. I found it interesting reading about his inner struggles with coping with going from being the doctor giving the diagnosis to the Patient receiving the diagnosis taking to account all the knowledge he has.
Before I read the book I thought it would be quite a dry read but it was actually quite a funny read in places because he was telling you about his life so he included lots of anecdotes.
DIsclaimer: I received a DARC of this book from Netgalley for review purposes but this will not effect my opinions on the book at all.