Book Freak 175: When Breath Becomes Air

A neurosurgeon's reflection on life, death, and meaning

When Breath Becomes Air is Paul Kalanithi's memoir written as he faced a terminal cancer diagnosis at age 36, just as he was completing his neurosurgical residency at Stanford. In it, he examines his journey from doctor to patient, grappling with questions of what makes life meaningful in the face of death. His wife Lucy completed the book after his de…