Reviews tagging 'Death'

When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi

219 reviews

jess_xen's review against another edition

challenging dark hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

5.0

Deeply moving and heartbreakingly hopeful. 

This is a really special book. Thank you, Paul. 

"You can't ever reach perfection, but you can believe in an asymptote toward which you are ceaselessly thriving."

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Grief and Death

Minor: Medical content

katdirks's review

emotional reflective slow-paced

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Cancer, and Medical content

tellingmyselfastory's review against another edition

emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

5.0

I read this book in one day. I couldn't put it down. It's hopefully heartbreaking. One of the themes that kept coming up that I resonated with is the way the healthcare system dulls the empathy of it's professionals. How it's easier to disconnect into the statistics and turn the patient into another number. I found his philosophy on medicine fascinating. 

Our culture doesn't like to discuss death but this does in such a thoughtful way. It's real and honest.  But it's also about living. And how living and dying are connected. Living with the knowledge you are dying. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Medical content, Terminal illness, Medical trauma, and Death

Moderate: Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Infertility and Pregnancy

Discussion of IVF and family planning

carriebp's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Medical content, and Cancer

sophiab27's review against another edition

emotional inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer and Blood

Moderate: Death

radh's review against another edition

emotional inspiring medium-paced

5.0

This one had been on my TBR for ages and has been recommended to me by so many people and it does live up to the hype. I loved reading about Paul finding his passions in life as it truly is so rare to find someone who cares so deeply about anything they do. His writing holds a beautiful balance of matter-of-fact directness and emotion that I greatly appreciated as well. The book also reminds me of my favorite book, The Bright Hour, which is a memoir of similar topics. A beautiful read and insights even if sad 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death and Cancer

kira20's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Terminal illness, Grief, Medical content, Medical trauma, Cancer, and Death

Moderate: Gore and Suicide

just2sadie's review against another edition

emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

This book was truly heartwarming and very relatable as a medical professional dealing with a similar health crisis. I could see my thoughts in some of Paul’s, which made me feel less alone in my situation. His tenacity for life was evident and it is amazing that he shared his truth and story with us. Highly recommend for anyone!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer and Death

nneka23's review

informative reflective sad medium-paced

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer

Moderate: Death

melincincy23's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Cancer and Death