Plot: When Breath Becomes Air is a non-fiction
novel written by Paul Kalanithi. For context, Paul is at the end of his
neurosurgery residency. He has been pursuing the medical field for almost 11
years, when he is diagnosed with lung cancer. This novel explores his journey
into the neurosurgery field and why he decided to study the brain. In the Part
I of When Breath Becomes Air, Paul revisits his childhood and reflects
on his career in college and med school. When he was growing up, he desperately
wanted to be a writer; however, his desire changed, and he decided to go into
medicine. This part continues to explore his experiences in college, in a
scientific laboratory, and in residency. In Part II, Paul revisits the scene
where he discovers that he has lung cancer; however, shortly after this, the
doctors realize the cancer is treatable because of a small mutation in the
cancerous cells. Paul began to regain hope because of the doctors’ discovery. After
chemotherapy, Paul’s doctors conduct a CT scan and noticed that almost all of
his cancerous tumors were gone. Paul returns to a normal life; however, seven
months later he completes another CT scan, and the tumors are back. At this
point Paul knows that he is unlikely to recover, and so when it comes time to
say goodbye to his friends and family, he wishes not to be put on a ventilator.
Good Aspects:
This book takes a deep dive into the medical field, and
it forces the reader think about their own mortality. I really enjoyed reading
it because I am really into philosophy and medicine, and that is the focus of When
Breath Becomes Air. I also find the background information about why Paul
decided to pursue medicine to be incredibly interesting.
Bad Aspects:
At some points in When Breath Becomes Air, the
writing style becomes a little bit unclear. In addition, this book is medical
vocabulary and references, which makes it harder for people with minimal
understanding of medicine, like me, to read.
Conclusion:
Overall, When Breath Becomes Air is a good book
because it forces the reader to think critically about medicine and philosophy.
I would recommend this book to anybody interested in medicine or non-fiction.
~ Ezra
This looks like an incredibly gripping book and I would love to check it out. The fact that it is nonfiction makes it even more interesting for me, and I tend to enjoy books that show realism despite the ups and downs.
ReplyDeleteGreat Review
This sounds like a really deep book with a lot of moral dilemmas. I really liked how you described both what you liked and disliked about this book, it was useful for me to analyze whether or not I wanted to read this book. It's disappointing this book contains a lot of medical jargon I wouldn't understand, I would want to read this book otherwise. Thanks, great review!
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a really good book! I'm not typically a huge fan of non-fiction, but I think that this character's story sounds interesting. I also like how you noted the pros and cons of the book. Great job!
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like an interesting but sad book, with the unfortunate news of Paul's diagnosis of cancer. I also find it intriguing because of how you described it as delved deeply into the topics of medicine and philosophy, engaging the mind of the reader. I also liked how you organized and formatted your blog post; providing subcategories was very helpful in my experience as the reader. Nice review!
ReplyDeleteThis book sounds really deep. It provides some real details of somebodies life, and I can relate to hearing bad news. I really liked how you provided what is good and bad about your book, and while I'm not a big non fiction fan, I might read this book.
ReplyDeleteHey Ezra, I am very interested in non fiction and in the medical field. One important aspect of your blog is about how doctors are vulnerable to diseases despite the great knowledge of how to avoid and treat it. What is most interesting is the philosophy and the mindset of how vulnerable anyone is and how decision making comes with the knowledge of what's going on, instead of having an explanation from a third party.
ReplyDelete