When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi - Inspirational Memoir About Life & Mortality | Perfect for Book Clubs, Gifts & Self-Reflection

This book would be extremely hard for me to categorize.Let me address the obvious first - the superficial structure of the book covers the chronology of an exceptional young man's life, his childhood, his ascension through levels of academic and medical training, culminating in a career as a Neurosurgeon. It is then here, on the cusp of fully manifesting all the years of effort, that young Dr. Kalanithi is confronted with a diagnosis of cancer...ultimately proving to be terminal.Of course I expected this book to be powerful and heart-stirring, but in truth I imagined a much more conventional, "appreciate what you have, stop and smell the roses" sort of missive that we've oft seen before.This book is something very different indeed.Though I never had the pleasure of meeting the brilliant Dr. Kalanithi, and while I fully acknowledge how presumptuous this might sound, I honestly left this book feeling as if I'd just experienced Dr. Kalanithi's crowning achievement. My honest thought was: this man was born to write this book.The Doctor's account of his early life depicts a young man with a sort of dreamy, very rich inner world. This young man would grow to possess an abounding love of philosophy, poetry and literature. Despite coming from a family of doctors, young Paul seemed destined for the life of a novelist.Perhaps the defining and inspiring characteristic of the author is a relentless, uncompromising curiosity. "Why am I alive? What is life all about?" These are the questions the author bravely confronts even as a very young man.As Paul's search for meaning leads him to the very place where these questions arise from, i.e. the brain itself, Paul realizes his quest is leading him into medicine.This reflects a trend we see throughout Paul's life that long precedes his cancer diagnosis. Throughout his life, Paul exhibits the focused drive of an Arthurian Grail Knight. When the road deviates, Paul continues forward unblinkingly. It sets a positive and powerful example.There is much more here too.There is also an incredible, overwhelming sweetness in Paul's marriage and family. There are dizzying heights and gut-wrenching lows.Through it all though, a simple and clear message, taught more through deed than word echoes: hope, salvation, renewal and healing all exist in myriad forms for all of us. In opening our hearts to one another, sharing one another's joys and sorrows, and perhaps most of all, opening our heart to what life places before us and embracing challenges with courage and dignity we will all find our own path to meaning and purpose.This book is, above all, deeply real and human. It offers a brilliantly clear window, through one family's experiences, into a life we all share, i.e. a life that is both finite and yet demanding of us to find our purpose within it.