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When Breath Becomes Air,
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Bruce Katz
I'll throw my two cents in. Personally, I found it deeply moving and life-affirming. There were times I felt tears forming in my eyes, and other times I read a passage several times to ponder what the author was expressing. I can't think of another book that brought me so close to the soul of another person. Might some readers find it depressing? I'd have to say yes, depending on what life experiences and attitudes they bring to it. But I think most will find it rewarding and touching and well worth the risk of the emotions it might elicit.
Carol
Tragic, yes. Depressing? No, I found it inspiring. And the writing is exceptional.
Michael Hall
It was certainly sad - maybe tragic is the word. But I for one did not find it depressing at all. I would say it is inspiring.
Jeanne
I found "When Breath Becomes Air" emotional and informative, a comfort to have knowledge to take away the fear of death.
Lesson to live in a way that matters most to me.
Lesson to live in a way that matters most to me.
Carolyn
It's depressing to realize that you have lived almost twice as long as the author and that you have lived so much less in all that extra time. Not a great book, but an honest attempt to examine what makes us human, the question that Kalanithi states is the basis for his various academic pursuits. Since real life is not a skillfully plotted novel, his story must be the life he made and the options he chose, in spite of the cancer that he did not forsee. There is much unsaid in the irony of his medical specialty and search for meaning through science and literature. His silence is the elegant voice that some readers can't hear.
Kostapappas
Crying at the end is like greek catharsis and not a depressing feeling.
Such
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Trinia
touching and thought provoking! I would recommend anyone to read it. We lost a lovely writer in Mr. Paul Kalanithi :(
Karen
I did not think it depressing, if I were to use only one word to describe this book it would be informative
Beth Cataldo
What I found depressing is that the author thought so much about how to heal other people but didn't examine how harmful he was being to his own health by working so much.
I had a hard time reading it, seeing that he continued to push himself and create so much stress in his life even after he knew he had cancer. I didn't understand how he could do this to himself and his family. Doesn't every doctor know that stress like what he endured causes cancer?
I had a hard time reading it, seeing that he continued to push himself and create so much stress in his life even after he knew he had cancer. I didn't understand how he could do this to himself and his family. Doesn't every doctor know that stress like what he endured causes cancer?
Kay
I did not find it depressing. The writing is intimate and wonderful and, in spite of [or perhaps due to] the personalization of tragedy, becomes an affirmation of life.
Cecelia Livas
I thought it was an excellent book definitely one of my favourites,I loved it-very inspiring. I loved the way the author refused to give up despite his terrible fate
Amanda Jones
by no means is this book depressing. This book is about living, even when dying, about recognising and working with what brings value and energy to our lives. It's about dying gracefully and living beautifully. The author is teaching us, from the textbook of his life lived well, his humanity and regrets laid bare. It's a book that inspires and touches. We know of grief and we feel it for him, as he leaves his family - just as we feel it for ourselves when our loved ones pass away.
Wade Pederson
I would say it was the opposite of depressing. You already know the tragic story from the byline. It becomes about the journey, what life is, what relationships mean, what one man does in face of death. Aren't we all in the face of death? But society tells us not to think about it, not to face it, not even to acknowledge mortality. I read this 4 months after my mom died from cancer and it was a very meaningful story to me.
Beverly
No, I did not find it depressing. At many points, the book is actually comforting, as the reader inevitably contemplates her own mortality. One example: Kalanithi writes that he would have to learn to see death as "an imposing, itinerant visitor," ... "knowing that even if I'm dying, until I actually die, I am still living." It's a beautiful book, poetic yet compelling. Don't be afraid to read it.
Shari
I thought it was an excellent book. Depressing? No. Sad, of course but I thoroughly loved this book.
Isabella
Of course, he dies. That said, he does so much with the life that he lived! The only thing depressing to me about this book was how little I've done in comparison.
Anna
I've experienced profound loss in my life - and I picked this book up with the fear that it would "trigger" me back into deep grief. It didn't. In fact by exploring the richness of even a short life, and by reminding the reader that death is a certainty for everyone, I found it comforting. Lucy Kalanithi's afterword was also wonderful for a griever to read: She expressed eloquently the richness of the relationship that continues after death.
Harry Wingfield
I, like others on this list, found the book inspiring, rather than depressing. I manage an ethics committee (Institutional Review Board) that reviews and approves many cancer research studies at the hospital where I work. His descriptions of his own journey gives me an even higher appreciation of the value of my part in cancer research. I am also writing my own memoir of my journey, since 1990, with AIDS. I am just getting to the part where my life threatening episodes started. This book reminded me of things I need to remember to say, and made me hopeful that my words might also help others the way his helped me.
Jinyu Shao
It's not the happiest book to read. However I agree that the narrative is more inspiring than depressing. For me personally, the book provided a new perspective on thinking about death. I finished the book feeling sad but also hopeful.
Jean
Not at all depressing. It's life!
依娗 李
I am able to relate to him because I have a genetic brain neurodegenerative disease. I have heard so many sad stories from my disease community on Facebook. We have no cure yet and I have no idea if it will be in time for me, my brother and the rest. I am struggling with it every single day. I have problems with balancing and coordination now. My brother involuntary movement. My brain is also affected now and my memory is getting worse.
Ila
Echoes my thoughts when I started and stalled reading this book. But after 15-20 pages I started liking the writer's thought, his view on philosophy and his search for meaning, which becomes synonyms to our search. very well written and you can read author's mood along with his words.
WB1
Well. It's hardly a barrel of laughs.
But it's moving, beautifully written, provocative ,insightful and one of the best books youll ever read. You wont forget it,
But it's moving, beautifully written, provocative ,insightful and one of the best books youll ever read. You wont forget it,
Adele Levine
This book will never leave you.
Carole Brooks Platt
I haven't read it yet, but I'm inspired by all of the comments below. A former student of mine, who is quite brilliant and finishing her training to become a neurosurgeon, suggested that I read this book. The author is a friend she knew at Stanford. She says he was a wonderful person and his book is beautifully written. I have bought it, but have not read it yet. I just started reading a new book on the neuroscience of left and right hemispheric differences, which is fascinating to me. My own book using neuroscience to explain the workings of the minds of great poets was published in August 2015: In Their Right Minds: The Lives and Shared Practices of Poetic Geniuses.
Prajinta Pesqueda
What is wrong with depressing books? Life is filled with sorrow. Reading about how others handle it can help us be stronger and wiser. Everything is not rainbows and puppies. Some of the best writing in history has been dark and tragic.
Ann
Inspirational, not depressing.
Peter Manouselis
So what? If there is a thoughtful and true story there, with provoking ideas, why wouldn't you want to read it? How else do you evolve into a more dynamic human being if all you ever read are happy, sterile stories?
Tusk
I wouldn't say depressing. I would say deeply personal and so incredibly well written. Life and death were his daily duties; he crafted his words with such care and candor. It was an honor to witness his journey.
Sierra
In my experience, depression comes from feelings that are not felt, that are left untended. This book summoned feelings from me. Not only did I feel the profound sadness of the end of a life so profoundly lived, one that could have given other so much, but also the feeling that I am basically average reading about a gifted human. His writing was beautiful. And he had a family to surround him. How beautiful, sad, but not depressing.
knegron
It isn't depressing in that we do all die. It makes death less fearful and more of a "new beginning". The way Paul writes IS very poetic and he adds a lot of references to other books/poetry which makes for a good read.
Rakhi Rekhani
I read the book and it made me cry and sad. I felt like a spectator in Paul's life, wanted to some how reverse progression of cancer so he could live longer to be with his family and reap the fruits of his hardwork.
Cathenry
embrace it, it makes sense somehow
Lucydad
I am half way through the book, and processing what it takes to become a neurosurgeon. Paul's drive to integrate surgery, words and spirit is almost unique. As a motorcycle rider, reading about the brain trauma is sobering. I know the risks of riding, but reading the descriptions is unsettling. Fear is the mind killer...
Diane Strasser
Not at all. I found it to be a very positive, life-affirming read.
Rick Brohman
I do not think its depressing. I am 60% through it right now and I find it inspiring and moving. Its scary to think about all that could go wrong in the body.
Yao Hao
I found it pretty depressing too!
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