Two years following the death of its author, neurosurgeon Paul Kalanithi, When Breath Becomes Air was posthumously published to global acclaim, working as both a candid portrait of the symptoms and treatment of cancer and as a meditative essay on what it is to prepare for death. As Being Mortal’s Atul Guwande observed, ‘the dying are the ones who have the most to teach us about life.’ As our Non-Fiction Book of the Month for January, we’re honoured to be able to present Kalanithi’s introduction to this remarkable memoir, an extract deeply affecting in itself.
It is impossible to read When Breath Becomes Air and not be moved by the intimacy and eloquence of Dr.Paul Kalanithi’s writing. The book opens with the devastating image of Kalanithi, a highly intelligent and remarkable neurosurgeon, reading his own CT scans that show, inexorably, the cancer that would eventually kill him. In the pages that follow, we read Kalanithi's beautiful, moving reflections on his life, as well as candid reactions to, and explanations of, his illness and treatment. The ending is a profoundly moving epilogue written by his widow. From start to finish, When Breath Becomes Air will have a deep and lasting effect on every reader.
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