When Breath Becomes Air – Book Review

When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


When Breath Becomes Air is a very difficult book to rate, and I struggled giving it 3 stars since it feels unkind knowing the author passed away far too young, leaving behind a wife and infant daughter. However, it is my true feeling about the book.

The foreword is unnecessary and feels very indulgent. It actually added nothing to the story and if I had been reading vs listening, I would have skimmed it. I didn’t even consider this section when trying to decide my thoughts on the book.

The story itself is incredibly tragic. A doctor who is close to finishing his neurosurgery residency when he is diagnosed with advanced cancer, ultimately losing his battle less than 2 years later. If I was rating the story itself, it would be 5 stars.

The problem for me is the writing is very philosophical. Lots of existential meaning of life questions. Lots of references to the classics and poetry. None of that resonated with me and served to keep me detached from the author and the story. There were many instances during the book where the author could have truly invited the reader into his struggle. He could have still explored those meaning of life questions but with real insight and honesty instead of this very detached account.

The afterword written by his wife is lovely. That was where I found some emotion as she described his final days. However, I also found that she spent too much time defending the book which we know is unfinished. Through no fault of his own the author died before this book was completed.

There are many who love “When Breath Becomes Air” so I wouldn’t discourage anyone from reading it. It wasn’t a total miss for me, it was simply too clinical and distant an account of a very raw and real circumstance.



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