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Paul Kalanithi
Paul Kalanithi

Paul Kalanithi

When Breath Becomes Air

  • When Breath Becomes Air

  • MOST LOVED. MOST RED. Ten must-read modern classics.

    'Even if I'm dying, until I actually die, I am still living.'

    We often ask ourselves how we should be living. In Paul Kalanithi's deeply moving memoir, he is forced to ask himself the question, 'how do you live when you are dying?' At thirty-six, having just finished his training to become a neurosurgeon, he was faced with a devastating cancer diagnosis. This is his memoir. From student, to doctor, to patient, to father, and to writer, Paul preserved his last years and legacy in this truly unforgettable book.

    This magnetic, hopeful book was first published in 2016. Adored by millions of readers, it is a Vintage Classic already and a book that will stand the test of time.

When Breath Becomes Air
When Breath Becomes Air
Paul Kalanithi

MOST RED

10 Books

Paul Kalanithi was a neurosurgeon and writer. He held degrees in English literature, human biology, and history and philosophy of science and medicine from Stanford and Cambridge universities before graduating from Yale School of Medicine. He also received the American Academy of Neurological Surgery’s highest award for research. His reflections on doctoring and illness have been published in the New York Times, the Washington Post and the Paris Review Daily. Kalanithi died in March 2015, aged 37. He is survived by his wife, Lucy, and their daughter, Elizabeth Acadia.

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