At thirty-six, Dr. Paul Kalanithi was on the cusp of everything he’d worked for—about to finish his training as a neurosurgeon and start the life he imagined with his wife. Then he was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer.
In When Breath Becomes Air, Kalanithi—both doctor and patient—confronts the deepest questions of life, death, identity, and purpose. With lyrical clarity and quiet courage, he explores what it means to save a life, what makes life worth living, and how to face mortality with grace.
A #1 New York Times bestseller and Pulitzer Prize finalist, this stunning memoir is as heartbreaking as it is life-affirming—a legacy of thought, love, and extraordinary insight from a brilliant mind silenced too soon.
